


blizzard

by the_hero_she_deserves



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) is a Dork, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bright Moon (She-Ra), Christmas, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Fortune Telling, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Holidays, Humor, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Love, Meant To Be, Minor Original Character(s), POV First Person, POV Glimmer (She-Ra), Present Tense, Romantic Soulmates, Slow Romance, Soulmates, Tarot, The Fright Zone (She-Ra)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:33:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25119943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_hero_she_deserves/pseuds/the_hero_she_deserves
Summary: "The cards can tell you anything you desire to know. But, first, you must ask a question."Glimmer knows better than to trust strangers offering to read her fortune in a scary place like the Fright Zone.Or does she?Glimmer POV.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra), Angella & Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Kudos: 16





	1. December 1

How did I end up here? - At some storefront psychic’s little shop in the middle of a downtown suburb. All I came for were some groceries for my mother. She was going to make my favorite for dinner tonight, because it’s a special occasion.

It’s not everyday you turn eighteen, you know.

They call this place the Fright Zone. It’s a scary little suburb that doesn’t look like much wedged between two really big cities. It’s a journey away from where I live in the village of Bright Moon, but it has the market that sells the special ingredient needed to make my special dinner. The roads look unfinished; they’re just sand and dirt mixed together, baked by the sun during the day.

There are merchants lined up and down the streets, each selling different things. I have never seen such diversity before, in my life. The fruit merchants are scattered throughout the lines that take up the edges of all the streets in this place. There are vegetable merchants, meat markets, jewelry and accessory sellers - it really does seem like a conglomerate.

But, there are bugs here. The flies buzz around the fruit stands, and I swear I’ve never seen so many spiders and cockroaches and beetles just crawling around in my life.

This place makes me uncomfortable.

Whatever, I just have to get some vegetables. How hard could that be?

I round the corner down a different street. The vendors grow louder, shouting at me to buy their products; to take a look at their things; to be dazzled by the wonders of their shops. I can feel a breath leave my lungs.

My shoulders hunch over as I walk. I can’t help it. I had to walk all the way here, and now I have to walk more and put up with this.

“Ugh… why can’t this part just be over already?” I grumble to myself.

“Hello there.” A voice rings out to me. It’s unlike all the others.

For a moment, I’ve stopped walking to give my feet a rest. But, this voice isn’t shouting at me, and it isn’t male either, like most of the vendors. It’s a woman’s voice, and it’s speaking directly to me.

“You look like you haven’t found what you’re looking for.” She states. “Why not take a seat and have a reading, hm? Take a break from all that tiresome walking.”

This lady has bright green eyes. As I look at them, I can’t help but be drawn in. I know if I had been walking any faster, I may have missed the smallest little table where this woman sits. She has a face covering, a mask over her nose and mouth, so I am able only to see her eyes. The heels of my feet are sore from all that walking, and she’s right, I do deserve a rest.

I walk over to her and take the seat opposite. She looks at me for a moment, and then decides to speak.

“Welcome, traveler. I can tell you’re not from around here.” She states, first.

“Yeah.” I say, in response. “How did you know that?”

“Well, it’s written all over you, of course.” She answers. “You have this air about you like you hail from the village of Bright Moon.”

“Yeah.” I say again, but I’m surprised. “How did you…” She interrupts me.

“I have done my fair share of traveling myself, child.” She answers. “Just as well, your clothes are different from the vendors here and I’ve never seen you around here before.”

I shrug. I guess that’s one way to tell.

“What is your name, child?” She asks, after a pause.

“Um… it’s Glimmer.” I tell her.

“Ah, Glimmer.” She repeats my name. Though, somehow when she says it, it makes a shiver run down my spine. I don’t like the feeling of this. “That’s a fitting name for such a pretty girl like yourself.”

“OKAY.” I exclaim as I stand up from where I am sitting. “I think I’ve had enough for one day and I really should be getting that…” She cuts in, once more.

“Please, sit. I invite you to stay. I was simply complimenting your name, dear child. There is no need to be alarmed. After all, the only thing I intend to do with you is… read your fortune.” She says weirdly.

The flow of this woman’s voice is seriously off. It’s got this tone to it like it could lull you into trusting her and then she’d feed you a poison apple or something. But, I can’t deny she has me intrigued. I stop and turn my body again so that I can face her once more. We lock eyes. Those green eyes send another cold shiver down my spine. It’s like she’s peering into my soul.

“Read my fortune?” I repeat in question. “Is… Is that like even a real thing?”

“Yes, yes.” She says both, slowly. “Read your fortune. It’s all very real, I assure you. Of course if you aren’t intrigued in the mystic arts of knowing about your future… then perhaps I should just wait for the next visitor to come along to give my energy to.” She really knows how to sell this, doesn’t she?

“If I stay…” I trail. “… what kinds of things will this fortune tell me?”

“It can tell you many things, child.” She answers, first. “From what you will do with your life, to how successful you’ll be, perhaps you’re interested in when you’ll die, or love. The cards can tell you anything you desire to know.” 

I sit back down in the chair slowly.

“Alright.” I agree. “So… how does this work?”

“First, you must ask a question.” She states. “Then I’ll draw cards from my deck here. Whichever ones I draw, I will interpret and give you a message based on what you ask. Have you never been to a tarot reading before?” She seems more comical now, than mystical.

“Um, no.” I answer honestly. “We don’t have those back in Bright Moon. There, the closest you get to Fortune Telling anything is a Magic 8 ball and you can buy that at any toy store.” I roll my eyes.

“Well, then this experience should be enlightening for you.” She is back to the mystical. “Tell me, what is it you seek to know?”

She prepares her cards, placing them into her hands. I watch her and take note of the intricate designs on the back and how hypnotizing they look.

Right, I have to think of a question.

“You said the cards could tell me anything I wished to know.” I repeat her words back to her. She simply nods. “What does it say about love for me?”

“Let us find out, toget-…” I cut in this time.

“Yeah, before we go any further, I’m going to need your name.” I request.

“But, of course. Many of the vendors here call me Shadow Weaver.” She tells me. Why does that name not bring me comfort? “Now, let us find out what the cards hold for you in the matters of love, shall we?”

I feel nervous. Is that normal? Should I feel nervous? I mean, I’m just asking a dumb question to a fortune teller who probably does this to pick up some extra money. Living somewhere like the Fright Zone, I would say she needs it. Should I even take this seriously?

And almost like she hears my thoughts, her piercing green eyes lock onto mine as she shuffles through her deck of cards. I feel that cold shiver run through my body again. Maybe I should take this seriously. From what I’ve heard in movies and stuff, this kind of thing only works if you’re serious about it and trusting your intuition. Besides, something about this woman unsettles me.

Well, with a name like Shadow Weaver, who wouldn’t be unsettled? I’m sure that’s it.

“So… you’re asking about love because you’re lonely, then?” She speaks as she continues to shuffle. I did not expect that.

I’m about to cross my arms and tell her I’m not, but she says more before I can.

“Don’t bother denying it. I know already that’s why you’re asking.” She says next. “So then this reading is for the knowledge of if you’ll find love, then. Perhaps we can take it a step further and predict who this person will be, and if you’d like when they will come into your life.”

“You can do all that with just some cards?” I’m honestly amazed.

“Yes.” She confirms. “The cards can predict anything. Although, it’s certain you will find love in your life, and you do not need the cards to tell you that.”

I’m not sure if that was supposed to be a nice sentiment or not.

“Um, thanks.” I say weirdly, not sure what to make of that.

“Glimmer, I need you to do something for me.” She says suddenly, and stops shuffling. “You must close your eyes and I will take your hand.” She moves one of her hands to hold one of mine as I shut my eyes. “As you do this, you must envision who you might like your lover to be. The attributes you may want, the personality you may desire, anything that comes to mind.” She instructs me.

I do as I’m told and begin to visualize my partner. There are some things that give me trouble, like the gender of my partner. I don’t think I’ve ever really care whether I’m with a boy or a girl, so I just skip over that part. I don’t have a particular type, but I’d like them to be taller than me. Their personality has be kind, and lovable, and not clash with mine. They should be someone who I can be friends with too - I don’t want to base our relationship solely on the romance. Those kinds of things never last. Beyond that, I feel blocked.

I open my eyes, a little frustrated with this exercise.

“I’m sorry, I don’t…” She interrupts me again.

“Ssh, ssh You did well enough.” She lets go of my hand. I take it back into my lap. “From what I can tell, you are someone who isn’t picky when it comes to boys or girls.”

Okay, seriously, is she able to read my mind?

“You are inexperienced with love, so you may not know exactly who or what you want, but there are some things you can imagine. Of course, we all want partners that are kind to others, kind to us. We all want to get along with those we love. Visualization is an important part of this process and now that you’ve done, we may begin.” She places her cards down on the table.

With the swipe of one of her hands, she elegantly splays the cards out so that I can see all of them individually. They are face down, so I can’t tell what they are. Again, my eyes are tracing the patterns on the back.

“Now, think of the question you most want the answer to about love and pick three cards. It is important to follow your intuition when choosing them. Pick those cards whose energies speak to you.” She advises me.

Okay, I can do that.

“Is there someone out there for me, and… will I meet them soon? And if possible, um… I want to know who they are.” I state.

She nods, and I begin my process of selecting the cards.

My hand hovers above them for a while and finally, I choose a card. My finger lands on top of it, and once she grabs hold of it, I let go. I get to choosing another by doing the same, really looking at the cards and trying to ‘feel’ their energies. I’m still not sure what she means by that, but there are certain cards drawing my attention to them. I guess, that’s what that means, maybe.

The second card is picked and she takes it into her hands as well. For the last, I shut my eyes and allow my hand to hover above them once more. Without really thinking - or looking - my hand lands on a third one, which she also grabs, and I let go.

Opening my eyes, she folds the deck back up and displays the cards I picked before me, face up.

She lays them out next to each other.

“The Lovers.” She reads the card. “The Ten of Pentacles.” She says the next. “The Ace of Cups.”

She reads the last.

They look pretty and all, but…

“What does all this mean?” I ask.

“Patience, child. You have selected your cards, and now I must select mine. Three is a good start, but we must have some clarity.” She grabs at her cards again and shuffles them.

This time I watch her as four of the cards pop out. At first, it’s only one. Then another two, and finally the last. She seems finished and places her deck back at her side on the table. She takes these four cards and flips them over, reading them aloud as she did the first three.

“Four of Fire.” She turns over the first. “Four of Air.” She says the next. “Four of Earth.” She reads again. “Four of Water.” 

What’s with all the fours?

She places those cards with the ones I drew. She picks up her deck just once more and splays the cards out in her hand this time, instead of the table.

“Pick just one more card and remember to trust your intuition.” She instructs me again.

I do, and close my eyes for good measure. I can feel my fingertips brush up against the edges of the cards. It feels cool on my skin, until I get to one card. This card feels different for some reason, and it has an energy that is attracting me to it. Whatever it is, I pick it. She places her deck down and takes the card from me, flipping it over, to reveal it.

“Ah, the Sun.” She places it at the very bottom of all the other cards.

“Okay,what does all this mean?” I ask, impatiently.

“I was just getting to that.” She begins.

“The first three cards you drew indicates that there will be a new person in your life very soon, so it’s possible this person is a lover. Maybe the lover you’ve been seeking. The Ace of Cups tells me so. The Ten of Pentacles and the Lovers both speak to me of a deep and profound connection between you two, that is not overcome with passion, however, but rather is rich in friendship.” She explains.

My eyes widen.

“So… you mean this person will be my friend?” I say.

“Yes, this person seems to be a good friend of yours, come when future pass.” She affirms.

“So, what else?” I urge her. I can’t wait to find out.

“As I’ve said, this person will mean very much to you. Your bond will go to places you may have imagined it would never go with another person. There is a lot of positive energy with these cards that fell out as I was shuffling - the four is repeated. Numbers repeating themselves is a good thing. It means this is a relationship that will not last just a season but is the work of a lifetime. You have all four elements here - picture that as the stages, the seasons your love will go through, trusting that it is always there.” She explains further.

“Really?” This person… will be in a long relationship with me?

“The Sun stands for their personality. They are like the sun themselves. Warm. Bright. Perhaps, loving and strong. Always there. They radiate this essence. They may even have bright features, such as blonde hair.” She predicts.

“Is that a sure thing?” I ask.

“No.” She says directly. “It’s not, it’s merely a prediction. I cannot tell you what they look like, for certain. That would be asking too much.”

I really do not get this whole tarot thing.

“Okay, so… is there anything else you can tell me?” I am just barely sitting in my seat.

“Yes.” She starts. “I can predict this person will be female. I am getting a lot of that from this bunch of cards, right here.” She hovers her own hand over the all the fours.

“A girl.” I say out loud.

“Are you not satisfied?” She asks because my tone is unreadable.

“No, I’m fine.” I answer. “I’m bisexual, you were right about that, so it’s totally fine if she’s a girl.” I smile weirdly.

“One more thing.” She places her index finger up. I know this is important. “This person is your soulmate and may even be your twin flame.”

I blush. Soulmate?

“S-Soulmate? Twin flame?” I do not know what most of that means.

“Surely you must know what a soulmate is.” She begins with.

“But, a twin flame is someone that you have an intense and strong connection with. The same fire that burns in you, burns in them too. In that regard, it’s like looking in a mirror. This person could be considered a fragment of yourself, but I’d like to think of them as someone who will change your life forever. Once you know them, you cannot un-know them. This connection between you is something that is meant happen, and maybe have already happened on a higher plain. In that regard, it’s divine, if you believe in that. All it needs to do is make its way down into reality.” She explains as though it’s really that simple.

“So… when will they - she - come into my life? I can’t wait to meet her. Oh, and is there anything else you can tell me about her? Like… maybe what her name is? Is that a thing?” I can’t help all my questions. I’m just so excited.

“She’ll be coming very soon. Perhaps sooner than you think, if you’re patient.” Again, with this patience thing. You tell me I’m meeting the love of my life and expect me to be patient?

“And, yes, I can try to predict a name based on a letter, but that doesn’t always have to be the truth. Apart from that, I’ve told you all I can tell you.” She reaches down to grab her bag of charms.

“What’s that?” I blink at the felt-material bag in her hands.

“This? It’s my bags of charms. You asked for a name, so I must draw some charms to see what other information I can find - including the name.” She reaches into the bag.

When she’s sure she has a handful of charms that feel right, she takes them out and places them on the table over the cards. I see something that looks like a small gemstone fall out. I can also see some tiles with numbers, and one with a letter. This just doesn’t make any sense. It looks like a bunch of random objects to me.

“What do all these mean?” I can’t help but ask.

She straightens them out on the table and looks at each of them.

“The garnet…” She begins. The gemstone is garnet. “… means that this person has some connection to the month of January. Perhaps that’s when she will show, or perhaps that’s when her birthday is. The numbers have significance to one of you, either her, or yourself. Does the number 3 mean anything to you?” She asks.

I shake my head slowly.

“Not really.” I state.

“Well, there is a three of importance somewhere, do not overlook that. There seem to be three number 1’s here. Repeating numbers are a good sign, and these may have some significance to you too.” She is about to move onto the next, but I cut in again.

“Well, my birthday is today - December 1st, so yeah, 1’s have a pretty high significance to me.” I say.

She just stares at me. Perhaps I shouldn’t have interrupted. I laugh it off, softly.

“And finally the letter.” She picks it up in her hands. “I cannot tell you what her name is, but the tile predicts it will start with ‘A’.” She places the tile down.

“Okay. Wow, this is a lot to remember.” I say.

“Not to worry, child. When the time is right, you’ll recall all of what I’ve said to you. Everything will fall into place like the cards have told me it’s meant to. Now.. there is the matter of payment…” She trails.

“What? I have to pay for you all that?” I hope it’s not expensive. I don’t have that much with me.

“What? Did you think I was just going to do all that for you for my health?” She questions. “No, I have a fee. And it’s $20.” She offers her hand.

I sigh, reach into my pocket and grab out a twenty. I hand it over to her, and stand up from my chair. Thank goodness, I had more than that, at least.

“Alright, are we done here? I really should be getting those ingredients now.” I say.

“Yes, we are finished. Thank you very much for the $20, and remember.. the tarot never lies.” She says mysteriously.

I take that as my cue to leave. As I walk away, I spot a vegetable vendor nearby. Grabbing what I need and placing it into a bag, I quickly pay off the man selling them, and start on my hike back home. Hopefully. I’m not too late for Mom’s dinner.

Still, this person… my soulmate. Am I even ready for something like that?

“Well… whoever you are. I can’t wait to meet you.” I say softly to myself as my feet carry me back to Bright Moon.

Please don’t be too mad at me, Mom.


	2. Lucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who do you tell things to when you can't tell them to your mother? Your best friend of course.   
> Lucky for Glimmer, she has Bow to spill all her secrets to in confidence. 
> 
> Lucky for Adora, there's warm food tonight.

Everything smells so good.

Dinner’s almost ready and I’ve just finished putting on some nice clothes. I know I don’t really have to dress up because it’s only going to be my mother, my best friend and me, but really, any excuse to wear a dress, right?

Besides, it looks cute.

The smells from the kitchen are probably throughout the mansion now. The cooks always did do such a good job preparing our food, and my mother was no slouch either. She’s helping them, after all. I can picture my mom in her apron, bossing around the cooks. I know it will be done soon, but with my grumbling stomach, I can hardly wait.

I sit on the stool by my mirror and begin to brush my hair. It’s not something I usually do, but I figure, as long as I’m waiting, why not, right? It will keep my mind off the food for a little bit while I wait for it to be done. I hear a knock on my door.

“It’s open!” I call out to whoever’s knocking.

Bow comes in wearing a nice button down shirt, and some pants. He has a gift in his hands, wrapped up all neatly, with a card sticking out of its ribbon. It’s just like him to bring such a thoughtful gift.

“Hey, happy birthday, Birthday Girl.” He shuts the door behind him and comes into the room.

“Uh, where should I…?” He looks for a place to lay the present.

I point my to my bed.

“Right there is fine. Thanks, Bow. I’m glad you made it.” He sets the present down gently on my bed, like he’s petting a kitten or something.

“Of course.” He pauses. “After all, it’s not everyday that your best friend turns eighteen. I had to be here. Now, let me give you, your birthday hugs.” He walks over to me with his arms open.

I have this stupid smile on my face. He could always get me to smile even when I didn’t want to. But, this occasion was not something to be frowning about, anyway. I embrace him and he gives me the biggest bear hug I think I have ever received from him.

“Thanks, Bow.” I say, between his arms. “But I think you’re crushing me.”

“Well, that’s the purpose of a bear hug, but…” He lets go. “Sorry anyway.” There’s this gentle smile on his face as well.

Bow was always so gentle.

He goes to sit on my bed. I sit on my stool - which has small wheels attached to its bottom - and roll it over, with myself atop it, to him. He leans back and another conversation begins.

“So, what did you do for your birthday? I don’t think there’s much you can do outside. Especially not here. I mean… there’s snow everywhere.” He motions to the window, where outside there is a wonderland of white.

“Well, I didn’t do much.” I shrug.

“I slept in, woke up a little before noon. I had the cooks make me some breakfast, and I ate that. And then I think I just sat around for a while before my mother asked me to go get something for her so she could make a special dinner for me tonight. So, then I did that.”

“So, it sounds like you were pretty bored, then.” He adds.

“Oh YES!” I groan, rolling the chair back and forth in little motions. “It was TORTURE to sit here with nothing to do. That’s the one downside about being born in the wintertime, you can’t go outside and do anything fun!” I wave my arms about in exclamation.

He laughs. “You could always could go outside and build a snowman and then come in and make some hot chocolate. Oh, and then put on your favorite movie and-…” I cut in.

“Sure, NOW, you give me all the ideas I could have for hours ago, Bow.” He knows I’m not really annoyed, just a bit frustrated that I didn’t think of that before.

“Well, where did your mom ask you to go to get the stuff for dinner, anyway? That must have been something fun, right?” He changes the subject.

“Yes, actually. It was.” I stop rolling the chair back and forth and scoot in closer. “I went to the Fright Zone and…” I start, but he interrupts me.

“The Fright Zone? Glimmer, don’t you know how dangerous that place is? There’s lots of merchants there that rip people off, and beyond that, it’s just a really…. tough place in general. I hope you were okay going there.” He’s always worrying about me.

I wave my hand in the air dismissively. “Don’t worry. I was fine. I’m here right now, aren’t I? Besides, it was just to get some special vegetables, or whatever, no big deal.”

“Well, as long as you were safe, then I guess that’s all that matters.” Bow remarks next.

“Yeah, but something did happen while I was there. Something totally great! It’s a good thing you’re here, because I could tell my mother, but she’d NEVER understand.” I move to sit next to him on the bed.

“Okay, well, what happened?” He asks, cautiously. He knows by my tone it’s supposedly a good thing, but sometimes our definitions of what a good thing was were different.

“I was walking around for a while trying to find the vegetable places, or whatever for my mom, and then I met this fortune teller woman. She was sitting all by her lonesome and had this small table, I almost missed it as I was walking around. If I hadn’t needed a break, I would have missed it, for sure.”I start.

Immediately, he doesn’t like the direction this is going, I can tell.

“Anyway, I sat down with her and she gave me a tarot reading. I’d never had one before but she made it sound so cool! Like the cards could tell me anything! Of course, I didn’t know if I should really trust in all that stuff, but then she told me that I could ask any question I want - even about love! So I just had to.” I tell him, careful not to let my voice get too loud.

“Oh, Glimmer, you didn’t…” He trails.

“Oh, but I did. I asked about when I would find love, and if she could tell me anything about the person, and she did not disappoint me.” I answer.

“Okay, what was this fortune teller’s name?” Bow places his hand against his forehead, preparing for the rest of the conversation.

“Shadow Weaver. But, why does that matter?” Seriously, why does it matter?

“Well, that name does nothing to comfort me.” He says, worriedly. “But, I guess it doesn’t. What’s has happened already cannot be undone. So… what did this Shadow Weaver tell you?”

“She told me that this person will soon come into my life. I don’t know how soon exactly, but it won’t be long. She also told me that this person will be my soulmate and that it’s a girl. Well, it’s most likely a girl, anyway. Her name could possibly start with ‘A’ too. And I’m just…. so excited to meet her!” I clutch my hands close to my chest.

“To think, eighteen years of waiting and finally a relationship. Took long enough, don’t you think?” I scoff. Well, it did take super long!

“Glimmer, you’re eighteen years old today. You’re young yet. I think it’s a little dramatic to say that love took so long to find you. At least, that’s what I think.” Bow does have a point. But, still.

“Okay, well, maybe you’re right, but…” I trail. “Still.” A pause.

“I was beginning to think that the only person I’d ever become friends with was you. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but you’re like my ONLY friend. She also said that this person wouldn’t just be my lover, but she’d become a really good friend to me too. So, I’m excited for that part as well.” With that explanation, I think he understands.

“Look, it’s not that I don’t love you too, Bow.” I take his hands in mine. He looks at me. “You’re the best friend any girl could ever have. But, I have always wanted more than just one friend, and the fact that I’m not really great at making friends…” I trail and look away.

Bow gently tilts my chin back to his direction. I suppose he wants me to look at him as he says this.

“You may not have many friends, but you’ve made one in me, and I’m not going anywhere. And if you say you’re really excited to make this new friend of yours, then I’m there with you. I can’t wait to see what she’s like, myself. You’ve even got me interested.” Bow lets me go and crosses his arms. “So… this person will be a female, have a name that possibly starts with the letter ‘A’ and… what else?” Bow asks for more information.

As worried as he may be for me, he’s always on board with whatever I’m doing. And that’s why he’s my best friend!

“Well, she said that she’ll be radiant. She’ll have this energy like the sun. This warmth that makes you feel loved and safe. She’ll be a good person, and you’d be able to tell that right away. Other than that, I don’t remember anything else.” I finish saying to him.

“Hm.” He thinks, for a moment. “Well, then I’ll be on the lookout too.”

“Thanks, Bow. Oh, and… I _can’t_ have my mother finding out about this. So, please don’t tell her?” I ask him, kindly.

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything.” He nods.

“Glimmer? Bow? Dinner is ready.” My mother announces from the other side of the door.

“Finally!” I spring up. “Food!”

“Someone’s hungry.” Bow remarks, standing as well.

“Well, can you blame me? I’ve been so hungry!” I answer.

“Let’s go eat then. After you.” He motions towards the door and we make our way to the dinner table.

This day couldn’t possibly get any better!

* * *

“Hey, I’m home.” A voice calls out somewhere in the Fright Zone. She moves a curtain out of her way to look behind it. “Um… Shadow Weaver? I’m back.” She calls out again.

There is no response.

“Hm, she must be out late doing readings again. What’s this?” As she wanders, she comes upon a note that was left behind it. Underneath the piece of paper there is some money.

“Use this money in case of emergency, Shadow Weaver.” The girl reads aloud.

She crumbles the note and tosses it into a little metal pail that has acted as a garbage for many years now. It’s slightly rusted on the sides.

The girl picks up the money and takes it into her hands. It’s not much, a measly twenty dollars, but it’ll have to do. She studies over the bill in her hands.

“Well, it’s not much but I’m sure I can find something with it.” She utters to herself.

She turns the bill over in her hands and looks at the back of it. On the back there’s a small heart drawn with a ‘G’ inside of it. It looks like it was drawn with a special kind of sharpie marker. Silver.

“Hm, you don’t usually see that.” She remarks to herself. She takes the bill and places it in her pocket.

“Well, I’m not going to spend it. I’m just going to have to find something for myself here.” She begins to rummage through cabinets that have no doors on them. They’re really just cubbies attached to the walls, then. This little space is hardly a home, but it’s been the girl’s existence for eighteen years. This is all she’s known.

Luckily, she does find something.

“Mac n’ cheese?” She takes the box down and into her hands. “How expired is this?” She studies the date on the back of the box.

“Okay, well, not that expired. I’m sure it’s still good.” She fills a pot with the reserve water from one of the jugs that Shadow Weaver’s managed to collect and store.

She places the pot on the stove and turns one of the knobs for its gas on. She collects a box of matches sitting on the counter nearby and strikes one up to light the fire. Once that’s done, she waits for the water to boil.

It takes about twenty minutes for it to boil. When the water is frothing, the girl adds the ingredients from the box. She finds a wooden spoon and begins to stir it all together. She lowers the heat to allow it to cook more evenly, and lets a sigh out from her lips.

There’s no snow here, but it’s still chilly. At night time, the gust can make it past even the warmest blanket. But, this was home.

“Well, at least you can see the stars here.” She remarks as she looks up through a hole in the roof.

Shadow Weaver told her she’d been meaning to get that fixed, but first needed to collect enough money to have it repaired. That was a long time ago, she said that and it still hadn’t been fixed. They’d just been lucky with the weather thus far. Still, it served as a nice sun roof - or moon roof - sometimes on clearer nights like this.

Within minutes the girl is finished cooking her dinner. She slowly shuts the gas off and the fire goes out. She takes the pot by the handle and sets it on the counter to cool.

It’s December 1st, and it’s cold, but at least there’s warm food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find any grammatical errors in any of the chapters, I apologize. Usually, I'm just trying to get these done and out there, and because of that I'm typing rather fast.   
> If you do see them though, don't be afraid to kindly point them out to me. I'll go and fix them up right away! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this cute, lil story as much as I enjoy writing it.


	3. A Stranger Christmas Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas Eve.   
> A holiday about cozy feelings, warm cups of hot chocolate - oh and there's a blizzard outside.   
> One can only imagine Glimmer's surprise when she finds a stranger showing up at her door amidst the storm.

It’s December 24th. Christmas Eve!

I **love** this holiday! At midnight, my mother and I exchange gifts every year. We drink hot chocolate together near the fireplace that has little marshmallows in it, served in these **giant** mugs. I know my mom and I kind of fight a lot, but, moments like this - I wouldn’t change them for the world.

We usually watch a movie together too, and Mom has the cooks in the kitchen prepare extra buttery popcorn to enjoy while watching it. It’s always the same; she puts on a classic movie titled _It’s a Wonderful Life_ and then directly after that we watch _A Christmas Carol._ That’s usually when Mom gets tired so she goes to bed and I get my refill of popcorn and stay up longer to watch even more classic Christmas movies.

I always stay up too late and end up being tired the next morning when I have to get up because we’re expecting Bow to come visit. He usually spends Christmas Eve doing the same with his family and then he spends Christmas Day with us - his second family!

But, this year was going to be different. There’s simply too much snow, and Bright Moon is expecting more of it tonight.

It’s Christmas Eve! Doesn’t the universe know how important it is to have all my favorite people in one place to celebrate the holidays with?! Apparently, it doesn’t.

“It will just have to be us tomorrow morning, Glimmer.” My mother speaks, her soft voice rings out as she brings the popcorn back into the room. The lights are already off - except for the tree lights, of course - and the TV screen is lit up and ready to play our movie.

I sigh. I really can’t say anything. I was so looking forward to seeing him again.

“I know you’re upset about it.” She trails, gently. “But, look on the bright side. At least he’ll be safe and warm with his family, and he’ll get to spend the entirety of it all with them. I’m sure when the snow clears he’ll come right over and give you his gift, personally.” She tries to soothe me.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I give her a bit of a smile. After all, how can someone be sad on Christmas Eve? “So… shall we watch our favorite movie?”

She smiles.

“I thought you’d never ask.” She sits next to me and brings the blanket over our legs as my hand hits the play button. I turn up the volume, and Mom places the popcorn bowl between us so that we can share.

“I’ve seen this movie so many times and I still don’t get it. Does this all happen in like… another timeline or…?” I whisper with my arm out gesturing towards the TV.

“Well, darling.” My mother begins, softly. This time, I think she might actually tell me. “If you watch the movie more closely, you’ll understand better.”

Of course not. I roll my eyes and grumble, to myself. I’m still confused, Mother!

“Well, I have to use the bathroom, so I’ll be right back.” I get up from the floor, the blanket falling off my legs.

They’re asleep from how long I’ve been sitting with them crossed, and my butt’s a little numb.

On my way to the bathroom, something catches my attention. I think I see a little light moving around outside, not too far away from the mansion. I squint but I still can’t make out what it is. It’s on the ground too; what could it be? It’s only as I try to focus harder that I suddenly gasp and clasp my hands over my mouth.

That’s not just a random light, that’s a person trying to brave the storm that’s already started outside! Are they crazy? Don’t they know what time of night it is and that it’s a blizzard? They could freeze to death!

I watch the direction that they’re traveling in and it seems to be…

“Right here. The village of Bright Moon. It looks like they’re almost at the gate too.” I remark to myself.

I think I have an idea.

Briefly, I peer back into the room where my mother is still watching the movie. She’s so enthralled in what’s happening, she probably won’t notice if I just… step out for a moment, will she?

She doesn’t even see me peeking around the wall, so I think I’m in the clear. I rush off to my room, and gather my things for outside. I throw on a sweater, and then over that I have a really warm winter coat. I even tie a scarf around my neck. I step into my winter boots, and make sure that I’m wearing really warm sweatpants and socks too. I’m nearly ready to face the cold.

“Gloves! That’s right, I need gloves!” I exclaim in hushed tones. After all, I don’t need my mom coming in here and asking me just what I’m up to. I find my gloves sitting on the vanity in my room.

“That’s right, I left them here to dry the other day when I went outside to build a snowman.” I pick them up and place them over my hands.

Now, I’m totally ready to go out there.

“The only thing is… how to sneak past my mom.” I trail off in thought.

Each moment I waste here is another moment that that person out there has to battle the cold. I mean what are they even thinking going out on a night like this and trying to travel?

I don’t have the time to spare. I begin on my way out, taking the lightest steps I possibly can. With luck, I’m able to sneak away from my mother and the room she’s in. I make it to the front door of the mansion.

I look back on the scenery behind me. I see the chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the shiny tile flooring beneath my feet that spans back in an elegant pattern. I even look at the carpet that begins some way back and leads back into the rest of the house. I can even see the light from the TV screen just barely flickering on the other side of the wall from where I’m standing in the front.

I can’t help but smile knowing that this Christmas Eve **will** be different - and I, personally, can’t wait!

Without another thought in my head, I rush out of the front door. I’m careful, of course, not to make a sound as I don’t want my mother to catch me. That would defeat the whole purpose!

Once the door closes, I begin on my trek to the front gates of the village. They shouldn’t be too far away from where I live, so this walk should be nothing.

But, man, is it cold outside!

Trying not to let the raging snowflakes sting me too badly as they hit my skin, I walk forward and push myself in the direction I saw the light.

**20 Minutes Later…**

The gates close, but I don’t see anyone. Have I missed them? What’s up with this?

“What?” I say out loud, though my lips are basically icicles.

How could I miss them? They were coming for the village of Bright Moon, and they must have made it inside the gate by now. Where could they have gone?

“They couldn’t have scurried off that quickly yet, and found somewhere to stay.” I remark to myself.

I shiver just a bit. I’m wearing all this warm stuff and yet the cold chill of the blizzard is still able to make me cold. I know I’m born in winter and all, but come on! Enough is enough already! I hate winter!

The guard might know something. I walk over to ask them if they’d seen where the person who just came in through the gate went. The guard unfortunately doesn’t know where they’ve gone off to, and they seemed to be in quite a hurry, according to the guard on duty. Well, that’s just great. It’s hardly that we ever get visitors anymore, so I wanted to be here for the one that was crazy enough to travel in this kind of storm.

Most people find this place too lofty to even try to make it into. That, and the guards don’t exactly let anyone they please in.

Well, standing here in the cold with someone who doesn’t know anything isn’t going to get me anywhere.

I might as well start on my way home.

So, with a shiver that passes through my body once more and my lips feeling quite hard and cold, I start on my walk back home.

**Another 20 Minutes Later…**

I make it back home in one piece. I’m a little cold, but that’s fine. Once I make it inside the mansion and the heat begins to hit my skin, I’m sure I’ll warm up with no trouble. I can also ask for another cup of hot chocolate - that should definitely help me warm up!

I have to be careful as I sneak back in though, I don’t want to be caught by my mother. And I’ve been gone and awfully long time already, so I **really** hope she doesn’t notice. I hope she just thinks I’ve been in the bathroom this whole time, or that maybe I got tired and went to my room.

That’s my only saving grace right now.

I slowly lift the handle to the door and open the door to my home. The door opens and I jump inside, quickly, then shut it behind me as quietly as I can. A little snow has blown inside with me, and come off my boots, but that’s okay. I can clean that up. It’s silent, so I think I’m in the clear. I smile.

“Yes!” I cry out to myself. “She didn’t find out about what I just…” I turn my body and suddenly am met with the image of my mother standing there, arms crossed, looking quite displeased with me. The movie isn’t playing in the other room anymore, and I can tell she’s definitely not in the mood to watch them anymore.

“Mom!” I cry out in surprise.

“Glimmer.” She states my name. When I don’t say anything else, she continues.

“Would you care to explain to me just **what** you were thinking going out there knowing that there is a blizzard going on? And never mind that, of all the stupid ideas, you lie to me on top of it, telling me that you have to use the bathroom. Of course I found out. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you were gone for 40 minutes?” She sounds mad.

“Okay, I know you’re mad.” I start with and she gives me a look as if that were blatantly obvious and I didn’t need to state it. “But I have a good reason for rushing out there. And it’s not like I lied to you. Originally I **was** going to the bathroom! I just got sidetracked on the way there.” I shrug.

“And **what**?! Took a detour out there in the raging blizzard? The worst we’ve seen in Bright Moon for years?” She steps closer to me, and the look on her face grows more intense.

“Something caught my eye! I know that sounds bad, but really, listen to me when I say there was a **person** out there! In the storm! And they were carrying a lantern and… and... coming towards the village of Bright Moon!” I exclaim.

“Glimmer, how many times do I have to explain to you that we live here, quite fortunately, I might add. I admire that you care for the people of the world, but you can’t go on saving everyone. That person could have been quite dangerous. They could have been carrying weapons. They could have had ill intent. You don’t really know what a person may do. And you simply can’t go rushing off into a storm, a particularly bad one, to save the person you see. They had a lantern with them, you said? They probably knew what they were doing and would have made it just fine. It’s best not to get involved with other people’s business.” I can hear a sigh in her voice as she grips at her head. She must be getting a headache, and the amount of stress I’m causing must be giving it to her.

I just wanted this Christmas Eve to be exciting like it usually is. Even if it was different, even if it was dangerous, it was…

“Pardon me.” One of our staff steps into the room. “But, there is a visitor. Should I turn her away? This is a rather late time of night and we would be unprepared for such…” He trails before my mother interrupts him.

She waves her hand in the air, trying to come up with an answer.

“We can’t very well turn the thing away, whoever she is. She may stay for tonight until the storm subsides, but first thing in the morning she’s expected to leave. Please allow her in and tell her that. And inform her that we are in the lobby and wish to meet her.”

Maybe this Christmas Eve will be different, after all. It’s not often we get visitors. I have this smile on my face and this look of excitement in my eyes. My mother turns her gaze back to me and narrows her eyes. She speaks lowly…

“And don’t think I’m through with you just yet either, young lady. We will have a conversation about this in the morning, after our guest leaves.” She shakes her finger at me.

Yeah, I know I messed up and I’ll probably get grounded endlessly for doing this, but, did she have to be so scary?

It’s a holiday, Mother.

The side entrance closes with a slam because of the wind. Someone’s inside now. I can only imagine it’s her - the visitor. She’s here!

I hear some stomping of boots like she’s cleaning them or something from the snow. That’s considerate. This person probably isn’t dangerous.

“Right this way.” I can hear our butler-of-sorts’ voice ring out from beyond the corridor.

I can imagine him standing there with his arm presented elegantly, white glove over his hand and all.

“Uh thanks.” I can hear her voice too.

She doesn’t sound too old, but she doesn’t sound too young either. She sounds like she could be just about my age.

She begins on her walk into the room and through the doorway I finally see her. She’s a girl, a little taller than me, with blonde hair, a red jacket, a red wool hat that looks all worn out and old, some red boots and some gray pants.

I’m getting the feeling that red’s her color.

But, she doesn’t look much older than me. My mother eyes her and assesses that she’s probably not looking for money or anything like that. She definitely seems harmless, and I think my mother thinks so too.

“Um… hello.” She greets us awkwardly. Her eyes travel from my mother to me, and then shakily back to my mother again - the tallest person in the room. “Sorry to um… kind of show up randomly on your doorstep, but it’s a real blizzard out there and I was going to stay in a hotel, but, the door was all shut in by the snow when I got there and-…” She rambles as she goes to move a hand to the back of her head and realizes that there’s snow even in the bits of hair beyond the hat.

Immediately she brushes off the snow from her hat and her hair the best she can.

“And I didn’t even bring anything with me. I’m sorry. My mother says that it’s poor manners to show up to someone’s house without something to-…” My mother interrupts her.

“That’s quite alright.” She says. “You look like you’re freezing. Perhaps a hot chocolate could warm you up? Once you’re through with that feel free to use the shower in my daughter’s room to get clean and warm from all the traveling you must have done to get here.” My mother’s offering all these nice things, but somehow her tone doesn’t seem too friendly.

She must still be mad at me.

“Oh, thanks.” The girl smiles, gratefully. “I’ll just uh go do that then. If you point me the way of your kitchen I can probably figure out how to make hot chocolate with your appliances and things. Oh, but you’ll have to show me how the shower works because um… where I come from, we don’t really have one of those. We have more of a bathtub situation?” She phrases in the strangest way.

Where did she even come from? And why was she so cute?

“You won’t have to make anything yourself. I’ll simply have the cooks in the kitchen prepare you a hot chocolate to warm up. It’s a bit late for food, but if there’s something you wish to eat, I’ll put in an order for that as well. And there should also be a bathtub available for use in my daughter’s room, if you feel uncomfortable using the shower. Of course, she can show you how to use all of that.” Mom answers her questions.

“Wow, kitchen staff and everything? I thought this place looked pretty fancy - and nice! It’s really… something. Else. Haha.” She laughs weirdly; I can barely hold back a laugh of my own.

“But, I wouldn’t want to impose. So… I’ll just take that hot chocolate, if you don’t mind. But I’d like to take that shower first, or bath, or - yeah.” She seems so nervous.

Whoever you are, you don’t have to be nervous here. You’re safe.

“Very well.” Mom speaks. “I will attend to some things. Glimmer, would you please show her to your room and instruct her in how to operate the bathtub/shower combo?”

My mom turns to walk away and take care of those things.

I think she means the movie, the popcorn and our leftover hot chocolate mugs. She might also mean mentally plotting my punishment every minute that goes by until tomorrow morning, but, I’m going to assume it’s really the first one, here.

Leaving us alone, there’s a moment before I speak.

“Well.” I sigh out the breath I was unaware I was holding. “This way.” I begin on my way back to my room.

The heat is starting to warm my body, as I thought it might, though some of my toes are still quite frozen.

* * *

“Well, this is my bedroom. It’s pretty standard. You have your bed, way up there. I just thought it was a cool style thing to hang it from the ceiling, and there’s step leading up to it, don’t worry. You have your waterfall, and of course some Christmas decorations because it’s that time of year. You have a view of the ground beneath here, but, it’s all covered with snow right now, so there’s nothing really to look at. Oh, and the bathroom with the bathtub and the shower and everything is just through that door to the back. I can even get you a towel to dry off with, and you can totally borrow my shampoo and soap and stuff.” I guess I must be talking too fast for her.

She seems dumbfounded. Her eyes are staring up at my bed and then they move to the ceiling itself. Slowly they pan all the way across the room to the window I pointed to, and then over the waterfall and to the bathroom door. Her mouth is agape and her eyes are wide, and she’s just starstruck.

Honestly, she looks quite cute like that. I have to keep myself from giggling or else make her think I’m laughing at her.

“So uh… what’s the waterfall for? To um swim in?” She points over to the waterfall that is currently set to the lowest possible setting as it flows calmly.

I chuckle. “Is the waterfall for swimming?”

The laugh tells her it’s totally not. But, what an adorable thing to ask.

“Well, it’s just that your room is so big compared to mine, is all.” She tells me next. “So, the bathroom is just right through there, okay, got it. Um, I don’t think the shower should be too hard to figure out, right? I mean, it’s just a matter of turning knobs, I think.” She taps her chin in thought.

“I’d better show you how to do it.” I walk over to the bathroom and enter it with her.

Even the brightness of my bathroom and how it seems to always smell like lavender catches her attention. She’s taken even with the scenery in here.

“Okay, so, this is the bathtub/shower combo. It’s both. You can take a bath if you want and fill the tub part with water but it’s much quicker to just take a shower. The water comes out from the spout up there.” I point to the nozzle. “And all you have to do is turn the knobs right here. Turn the left one, then the right. The left one is hot water and then right one is cold water. You want to get just the right temperature so you don’t burn yourself or freeze. The middle knob is to turn the water on and shoot it through the nozzle. Then, you should be able to take it from there.” I explain.

She nods and folds her arms like she’s studying something. She honestly looks like a student right now.

Where did she even come from? I can’t help but wonder.

“Right.” She nods again. “I think I got it. Thank you.” She manages a smile and begins to undress.

“Oh, that’s right. You’ll probably need to set your clothes out to dry. I’ll… leave them by the heater and I can get you something to borrow. Though… it’ll have to be some of Bow’s clothes from the last time he slept here since I don’t think any of mine will fit you.” I eye her body.

Yeah, it definitely won’t fit her. She’s taller than me and quite thin, and I … don’t have that same body type.

Bow’s might fit her just right though.

“Okay, well, um, sure, thank you.” She stumbles out in saying. I don’t think she knows what’s going on. There’s so much to take in all at once and so many names, I can’t blame her for not being sure what to say.

“Well, I’ll let you get to cleaning up and I’ll go see about that hot chocolate situation. Just, um, leave your clothes on the floor for now, and I’ll be back with a towel shortly.” I tell her and rush off to find her one from the linen closet.

I return to see her beginning to take her shirt off. She’s turned her back to the doorway by now, so all I can see are the muscles in her back. The jacket’s already on the floor and now, so is her shirt. She seems like she’s really fit, and I…

The towel falls out of my hands, accidentally. I blush and scramble to pick it up. I hold it out with my eyes shut tightly.

“Here!” I say, perhaps more loudly than I need to.

She blushes too and takes the towel, probably from embarrassment. She closes the door so that it’s only a open a crack. She begins to shed the rest of her clothes and climb into the shower. As soon as I hear the water running, I open the door and grab the wet clothes that have been left on the floor.

I move them to a heater nearby in my room. They’ll be dry in no time. I rush off then to the kitchen.

The cooks won’t be making her any hot chocolate if I have anything to say about it.

I’ll be the one to do that.

I pass by my mom’s room on the way there. She seems to be in bed with the light turned off already. I sigh; I ruined her mood and now she’s too tired to even exchange presents. She probably doesn’t feel right doing it with a guest here either. I can’t linger here. I move to check the room where we were watching the movie just before. Like Mom said, the TV’s been turned off and the popcorn bowl has been taken out of the room.

I make my way for the kitchen and notice the bowl already drying on the drainboard. Mom must have washed it. One of the cooks saunters into the kitchen with a yawn to begin making a fresh cup of hot chocolate.

That’s when she notices me.

“Oh, Glimmer.” She looks at me. “It’s late, don’t you think? You should be getting some rest. After all, it’s Christmas tomorrow. Or well… in an hour really.” She checks her watch.

She’s right; it’s 11:00 PM, but I couldn’t feel more awake.

“That’s okay. Why don’t you go and get some rest?” I say in reply. “I’ll take care of the hot chocolate order. I can do it, and besides you’ve been working all day.”

“But, Glimmer, I…” She protests.

“I won’t take no for an answer.” I smile.

She knows she can’t resist that smile. She’s grown used to it over the years, ever since I was a little kid. She knows that that smile means it’s best to just walk away and give it up because once my mind is made up there’s no changing it. She leaves without another word and I smirk. Time to get to work.

I start by picking out a particularly large mug, one of the biggest we have. Then, I pour the hot chocolate mix into the cup, making sure to get every last bit of the powder in there. There is usually always hot water around because sometimes Mom likes to come in and have a cup of tea late at night, to calm her nerves. I use that same hot water that’s sitting on the hot plate and pour it into the mug. I place the kettle back onto the hot plate and search for a spoon to stir it all together.

Once I’m sure it looks like hot chocolate, I search for the whip cream in the fridge. I make sure to make a small mountain of whip cream stemming out of the cup. It looks like the kind you might get in a specialty diner or something. I lick the excess off my fingers and place the whip cream back in the fridge. Searching in the cabinets, I find chocolate sprinkles. I pour those on top of the whip cream, and add just a touch of the tiny marshmallows that my mom and I love so much in ours.

I look at the drink. It looks like quite the masterpiece.

I just hope she likes it. I mean… I don’t know if she likes all that sweet stuff. Well, I’m sure it’ll probably be fine. I mean, who doesn’t love hot chocolate, right? And I can always make another one… without all the stuff on top.

I make my way back for my room, and I hear the water just shut off. I place the mug down on the vanity I have in my room. It steams by the mirror, while I look for Bow’s leftover clothes. I smell them to make sure they smell okay and they smell even fresher than mine most times! That’s not fair!

Anyway, I gather them into a pile and walk them over to the bathroom door.

“Hey, um, I have my friend’s clothes here for you when you’re ready to get dressed. They’re just some sweatpants and a sweatshirt.” I inform her.

“Okay.” She calls out from the bathroom. “Be out in just a minute.”

And like clockwork, she is out in a minute. She’s already dried her hair and it looks all fuzzy and different now that it’s not tied into a neat ponytail. I have to look away. The steam from the bathroom and the way she just emerges from it wearing only a towel is… too much for me.

She takes the pile of clothes on the floor into the bathroom and places them on her body. The towel is left behind on the floor as she opens the door completely and steps out in Bow’s outfit.

“How do I look?” She asks, scratching her head with her hand.

“Like you’re ready for bed.” I can only say in reply.

“Well, that sounds like a good idea.” She answers. “I think I’m pretty tired from traveling all that way.” She yawns.

“Well, don’t you want your hot chocolate first?” I grab the mug and walk it over to her. She takes it in her hands.

“Wow, this is really hot. Did the cooks make this while I was in the shower?” She asks me. I see she pays attention when my mother talks - well, then again, with that commanding presence, who wouldn’t?

“No.” I answer first. “I did.”

“You mean you made this yourself?” She asks like it’s the world’s greatest gift. Honestly, who is she?

“Yes, I did.” I smile. “It’s not a big deal either. Drink up.” I giggle.

“I will, thank you.” She looks at the cup weirdly.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you like sweet things?” I make a face. I knew I should have left all that other stuff off.

“No, it’s not that.” She answers. “I just have to wait for it to cool down. I don’t want to burn my mouth, after all.” She smiles back up at me.

Oh, right. The temperature. Duh. How could I forget about that?

Her smile is really cute, kind of like everything she’s done this evening.

“Right.” I say out loud, a moment later.

“So, um… I guess there’s a spare bedroom somewhere I should be making my way to right about now. Just point me in the direction of it and I can find it myself, so you can go to bed.” She says kindly.

I have another idea again.

“No.” I tell her.

She cocks her head to the side in confusion. It’s a moment later that I say…

“You’re sleeping here. In my room.” I tell her.

“But, that other woman, your mother, said…” She trails.

“I know what she said, but…” I trail, this time. “… I want you to sleep here tonight.”

“Okay but…” She points out. “…there’s only one bed.”

“So?” I reply.

“Well, it’ll be like sleeping next to a stranger…” She trails again. She does have a point.

“Okay, then.” I answer. “What’s your name?”

“My name?” She starts, as if she wasn’t expecting that. Maybe she wasn’t. “Um.. it’s Adora.” She tells me.

Adora? What a peculiar name.

“Well then, Adora.” I repeat her name. “My name is Glimmer.”

She nods. I guess she must recall it from when my mother said it earlier in the lobby. Another moment of silence passes between us and then, I speak up again.

“Now we’re not strangers anymore.” I begin on my climb up to my bed and shortly after, she shrugs and follows suit.

Yes, this Christmas Eve would be different and I was so happy it was shaping up this way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story's picking up, isn't it?   
> It gets better!


	4. Next to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's 1:00 AM, and the snow falls outside, and there's a person in Glimmer's bed who's never been there before.   
> Given the choice, what would you do: Sleep or get to know them? 
> 
> Glimmer chooses to take this opportunity to get familiar with the person next to her.

Snow still falls outside. It could be peaceful to look at when it wanted to be. Especially as it falls silently outside my window, and there is nothing but stillness, quiet in my room. You can even see the moon peeking in from between my curtains.

It’s 1:00 AM. As much as I should be asleep, as tired as my body feels, I just can’t. My mind is way too awake. That’s probably because I have someone new sleeping right next to me.

That like never happens!

Her back is turned to me so I can’t see her face. I’m on my back staring up at the ceiling, gripping the blanket over my tummy. All I can see if I look over is her hair, back into its ponytail. Who is this Adora person? Where did she come from? I feel like I have a million questions to ask her. But, she’s probably asleep and she’s supposed to be leaving tomorrow, so… I don’t think I’ll ever get to.

I turn my head to look over at the back of her again. I think about how she’ll be gone tomorrow. This mysterious girl in my life for one night and then out the other. Oh, and how mean is it of my mother to toss her out on Christmas Day? I mean, who even does that?

A thought strikes me suddenly. Tonight may be the only night that I get to talk to this person. I’m not just going to waste that conversation on hot chocolate and towels and how bathtubs work. It’s certainly not going to be about my mom either, or how she has to leave in the morning. I turn on my side to face Adora. I’m not sure she hears the shifting, but I gently call to her.

“Hey…” I say first. “Adora…?” I trail her name.

I know I shouldn’t wake her if she’s really asleep, but I can’t help it. It’s my one night with her!

Just when I think she isn’t going to respond, she whispers a reply.

“Yeah?” Her voice rings out softly. I’m relieved she isn’t asleep yet.

“Can’t sleep?” I have so many things I **want** to ask her, but instead I settle on that.

“Nope.” She answers back, still not facing me. “I have a hard time sleeping anyway, but I guess it’s just… new place, you know?” She admits to me.

“Do you usually travel?” I ask next.

“Not really. I’m really just from one place and I stay in that place most of the time.” She answers.

“So, then I guess you’re not used to sleeping in such a new place. Especially not one quite so… big either.” I give a breath in between my words.

“Yeah.” She agrees with me. For a moment, there’s a pause and then I hear her shift. The sheets move as her body does and she turns, finally, to face me. I swear, in the moonlight, her blue eyes look even prettier.

I can feel my heart flutter just a tad. Why did it just do that? A moment of silence passes between us and then I decide to ask her another question.

“So… how did you get a name like Adora?” That just sort of spits out of my mouth. “I just mean that it’s so peculiar, because I haven’t heard anything like it before. So I’m curious where it comes from… is all.” I state next. I mean, I’m not trying to insult her name, after all.

“Oh, well.” She begins, adjusting her hands, which are folded underneath her head, some. “I don’t know. My mother just sort of gave it to me, I guess.”

Well, duh. Don’t mothers and fathers usually give their children names?

“Well, yeah. I would expect as much. She’s your mom and everything.” I say, adjusting my legs underneath the blanket just a bit.

“Where did you get a name like Glimmer?” She returns to me. I wasn’t expecting that at all. She’s been really quiet this whole time. I guess she’s curious about some things too.

“Well, obviously, my mother gave it to me.” I say next. “I think she thought it sounded pretty, or something.” I add.

She smiles, and gives a soft laugh. Though I’m not sure what she’s laughing at. My name is hardly funny.

“What’s so funny?” I ask, my face scrunching into an expression that can only tell her I’m insulted.

“Nothing. I just think your name sounds cute, is all.” She states, very directly. I didn’t think she would be quite so direct. She hasn’t been thus far. “And your mother was right, it does sound pretty. It’s just a strange name because I haven’t heard it before. To me, anyway.” She finishes saying.

“Well, your name is pretty too, you know.” I point out next. My cheeks must be flushed and puffed right now in a pout. She has no right to say these things to me at all, and yet, I want to hear more of them.

“Thanks.” She replies softly. “But when I said my mother gave it to me, that’s really only a guess.”

“What do you mean by that?” I ask next, almost immediately. The way she worded that was kind of strange.

“I’m… adopted.” She admits to me, and perhaps not easily either. I can tell by her face and how her smile gently fades that maybe I’ve asked the wrong thing.

“Oh no, I’m sorry. I didn’t know, and I didn’t mean to ask the wrong thing if…” She interrupts me to calm my nerves.

“No, don’t worry about it. Pretty much everyone knows where I come from, anyway. It’s not a big secret, it’s just not something I’m used to saying out loud, normally.” She explains.

“So, what I meant by that is… I think my mother may have given me my name, but I can’t be sure because… I don’t know my real parents. The woman that I call ‘mom’ now is the woman who took me in when I was a baby. She’s raised me and taken care of me ever since.” She completes the narrative.

I see, I understand now. So the mother she was talking about when she came in must have been her adoptive mother. Still, more questions persist, and one falls out of my mouth, after a beat of silence.

“So… where are you from, anyway?” I trail. “You keep mentioning this place you’re from, and frankly, I can’t imagine a place where they don’t have working showers.”

“The Fright Zone.” She says, simply. “It’s not too far away from here. It’s like an hour walk, sometimes longer. But if you have a car, it should only be about a half hour, if that. Though I’ve always had to walk everywhere I go. We… can’t afford a car.” She says with this little quiver in her voice that’s somewhere between a breath and a laugh, and it’s just so cute.

I can’t help but stare into her eyes as she talks, and the fact that she’s able to look into mine as she does is…

Wait, did she just say…?

“The Fright Zone?” I blink in surprise. “Wait, you’re actually from there? I didn’t think that anyone lived there. I thought it was just a bunch of merchants trying to sell things. You mean people actually live there, in homes and stuff?” I can’t help, perhaps mostly surprised.

“Well, yeah, people live there. Though I wouldn’t call what we have much of a house. It’s more like a convenient… hole in the wall type place. It’s not much but it’s something to keep our heads dry. We hang curtains to give us some privacy, we even have a kitchen that has a stove and countertops and everything. Though mostly, it’s just hardened dirt from baking in the sun for too long. I swear that stuff feels like rock most of the time. And sometimes some of the furniture can be built from rocks, or salvaged garbage from other places that people were throwing out.” She explains to me. I remain silent, just trying to take it all in.

After all, the way she lives is just so different from me.

I can’t believe people actually have to live like that.

“We don’t usually have much food around either, but that’s okay because sometimes the merchants at the different stands in town give me freebies. It’s a perk of knowing like every vendor up and down the streets of that place.” She describes to me.

To me that sounds like something undesirable. It’s something unfortunate that she has to live like that when she can’t be much older than me, I think. I don’t think I’d ever be able to exist and carry on without the expanse of food and drink that I have here in my mansion. Maybe my mom had a point when she said that we lived fortunately, earlier.

But she doesn’t seem bothered by it at all. She seems okay with her simple existence and the even more basic living space she has to exist in.

She makes due, and maybe that’s why I find her so interesting. She’s lived such a different life from mine that I can’t help, but wonder what that’s like. After all, I’ve lived here in the cozy village of Bright Moon and have only been to the Fright Zone once.

Living there on the regular sounds like a nightmare to me, but to her, it’s probably everything.

“So then… doesn’t your um… ‘mother’ know you’re here? Why would she let you journey through a blizzard like that? And it’s basically Christmas, a holiday! You should be at home celebrating with her right about now.” I have to ask.

“Well, that’s just the thing.” Adora starts. My eyes find her blonde hair again and trace through it. I am capable of listening and tracing over the creases in her lovely hair at the same time, thank you very much.

“My mom hasn’t been home a lot lately. She’s busy with her job, and I can’t disturb her when she’s at work. Actually, most of the time, I’m just… going around town, looking for something to do. Usually what keeps me occupied is running errands or helping out the vendors, here or there. It doesn’t earn me any money, but it’s something. She earns the money in our family, but I hardly see any of it. After all, it is hers.” She tells me.

I’m amazed that she’s willing to open up like this to me. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s late at night and it’s snowing, or something. Or maybe it’s the simple fact that she wants to talk and finally, there’s someone there to listen.

Or it could just be something else that we both feel - this weird pull to talk more to each other.

“I know that feeling.” I state next. I do want to ask what her mother does for a living, but, the question doesn’t seem to make its way out of my mouth.

I’m not sure that if that would be too invasive a question. I only just barely know her and I don’t want it to seem like I’m interrogating her.

I want her to consider coming back to visit me, not stay away forever because of all my curious thoughts. Chill, Glimmer.

“My mom sometimes is very busy with work too.” I say next.

“Does that mean you have all this to yourself? That must feel intimidating.” Adora replies.

“Not really. I’ve lived here all my life so I’m already bored of the place. I know where everything is, and I know that there’s like nothing to do when she leaves for work any other normal day, so I usually meet up with Bow and go into town or something. Sometimes he takes me exploring to these other places and we go shopping, or he goes researching for his tech stuff. Oh and sometimes, if what is showing is good, we go to see movies at the movie theater! I remember one time a few years ago, we…” I trail off as I notice that I haven’t really given Adora fair chance to talk.

“Sorry. I got kinda carried away there.” I feel myself shrink back into my humble shell.

“No, don’t worry about it.” She manages a soft smile. “I’m actually interested to know who this Bow person is. I keep hearing his name come up a lot.”

“Bow’s my best friend.” I answer rather quickly. “We do everything together. Well, pretty much everything. We hang out all the time, and he’s always coming over here to keep me company. He doesn’t live too far from here. He lives…. well… I’m not actually sure where he lives because I’ve never been to his house, but I know it isn’t too far. We’ve been friends since we were like six.” I tell her, shifting again so that I’m laying on my back once more.

I look up at the ceiling and how parts of it sparkle above me. The moonlight is really doing a number in my room tonight. She also moves to follow me and lays on her back as well. She looks up at the ceiling and folds her arms underneath her head. She must think the sparkles on the ceiling resemble stars with the way she’s looking at them.

“It must be really great to have friends like that. I bet you have a ton of them being that you live here.” She remarks in perhaps the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me, ever.

I chuckle softly. That catches her attention and her head turns in my head direction. She’s looking at me, but I just continue looking up at the lights on my ceiling right now.

“Bow’s my only friend, Adora.” I say her name, softly. It sounds so natural, I don’t even know I’m saying it. But, my ears also catch the last note of her name and think it sounds strange. Yeah, that’s definitely not a name I’m used to saying, either.

“Really?” She blinks at me, in surprise. She can’t believe it. Just like I can’t believe she’s from the Fright Zone. “But, you’re so friendly that I thought…” She trails.

“Making friends is hard for me.” I admit to her. “I’ve never been good at it. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s because I have a strong personality, or so says my mother.” I continue. “That, and growing up like this, in a mansion with money and cooks and butlers and riches, it makes it harder to… relate to other people my age. You know, the people that don’t have everything and a bag of chips like me. And most of them… don’t want to be friends with someone who has it at all either. They view me as stuck up, and snooty, but…. they don’t even know me.” My eyes droop to a lower point on the ceiling as it curves downward.

My gaze diverts away from the lights and to a darker part of the room. Adora must see this as she’s looking right at me, and she can tell by the tone in my voice that it bothers me.

Usually, I’m good about hiding that. There’s no way I’d let a stranger know how I really feel about having only one friend and sucking at making any others. Adora is basically still a stranger to me. Even if we’ve learned some things about each other and introduced ourselves, it’s not like I know her as long as I know Bow. Can I even call her a friend or an acquaintance? She’s only been in my life for a few hours - not even a day - and here I am spilling all that on her.

It’s not even her burden to bear. Come on Glim, what are you doing?

“That must be rough.” She says first.

Someone like her probably has a lot of friends scattered all throughout everywhere. With all those errands she runs for the vendors and her mother, and how kind she is, I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to be friends with her. Yet another person that can’t relate to me, probably.

“But, I know that feeling.” She adds next.

It’s my turn to look at her.

“What? But you’re like the most helpful and kindest person ever, why wouldn’t you…” Adora cuts in.

“The Fright Zone isn’t exactly known for its wonderful relationships. Some of us live there by necessity, not by choice and there isn’t much to do, or anyone to hang out with, really. I’ve been lonely for most of my life. There have been acquaintances here and there, but mostly the vendors on the street and my mom just occupy my time. That’s why I run errands for people and do favors. It gives me something to do, and it gives me people to talk to. I’m not sure how I would be at making friends, I’ve never really had the chance to try. It’s really just been me, but… someday I might like to.” Adora smiles in the purest way.

I can’t help but smile too.

“Well, you’re doing pretty well, already. Consider yourself to have made one.” I tell her, happily.

“What do you mean?” She blinks.

“Me.” I answer. “I’d say after our little talk tonight, we’re definitely friends.” I let slip a giggle that’s been crawling up my throat for a while now.

What has me so giddy around her? I don’t understand.

“Alright.” Adora nods along with me. “We’re friends.” And just that simple statement alone seems to make her happy enough.

She’s something else, really.

There are still so many more questions on my mind, but I feel my eyes starting to get heavy. Even if I want to stay up with her some more and talk, I can’t resist the sleep that’s washing over me. Something in me has finally relaxed, and I can sense the same is true in Adora. I look over just to make sure and see her eyes beginning to shut. She’s fighting sleep to talk more with me, which is honestly the sweetest thing. But, we both need our rest.

My mother wants her gone by first thing in the morning. I’m sure she’ll be kind enough to give her breakfast, but, how do you kick someone out on Christmas?

It just isn’t right.

And it’s at this moment, as I’m drifting off to sleep that a thought strikes me.

My mother won’t kick her out if I have anything to say about it. Adora deserves to spend the holiday with people around her. If she leaves, she’ll just be going back home to be lonely and cold during this holiday, when she should have friends around her, at least, if she can’t have family.

My mother is a tough nut to crack and maybe I’m not out of the woods yet with this whole talk we’re supposed to be having, but I don’t care. She deserves better on Christmas and I’ll make sure to give that to her.

After all, it’s not like I have a present for her or anything, and I can’t give her much else.

I’ll, at least, give her that.

Before I fall completely to sleep, I mumble something and hope Adora catches it.

“Adora…” I trail her name, sleepily.

“Hm? She hums back, tiredly, in response.

“Merry Christmas.” I say to her, softly.

“Mhm. Merry Christmas.” She returns as she too loses herself to slumber.

It’s 2:30 AM and the snow is still falling outside. It can be peaceful to watch sometimes, especially as you’re drifting off to sleep in a cozy room. There is no noise as the snow falls, just the simple breathing from the person lying next to me in bed. The moon still peeks in with its silver light through the window, illuminating a different part of the room now as we sleep. The night is cold and the draft usually creeps in through the cracks in the walls and chills me as I sleep, but tonight would be different.

Tonight I will sleep soundly as I lay comfortably warm in my bed next to my newest friend.

Next to Adora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned. :D


	5. The Mystery of Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glimmer plans to take a stand against her mother - whatever it takes - and convince her that Adora should stay for Christmas.   
> Well, convincing her may not be as hard as she thinks, and she may not even have to do it herself.

The birds are chirping outside and there is sun peeking in through the windows now. It’s so bright, that I groan and roll part of the pillow over my head. I don’t want to wake up, not just yet. It’s too early to be awake; what time is it anyway?

I definitely stayed up too late last night - I think to myself. Then again, this isn’t anything new, because I usually do this, so at least it’s the same as it would be any other Christmas holiday.

It’s a typical Christmas holiday, but, Bow isn’t going to be here later, so it’s not a _typical_ Christmas holiday.

Anyway, what business does the sun have being that bright?

Bright…. speaking of bright…

My eyes snap open as I remember that I have someone else here. Adora! I wonder if she’s already awake. Suddenly, I sit up, blanket falling off me. I rub my eyes to clear them of their blurriness - the kind that happens just after you wake up, sometimes. I look next to me, but Adora doesn’t seem to be there.

She’s already awake? - I can’t help but think. That’s surprising, considering that we both stayed up till the same time last night. I wonder where she’s gone off to. Please tell me she’s not already left.

“Adora?” I say her name.

“Yeah?” She calls out from the bathroom.

Oh thank goodness she hasn’t left yet. My eyes slide over to the clock and it reads…

“7:00 AM?” I blink, and then rub my eyes again. Am I hallucinating? Why is she up so early? We’ve barely got five hours of sleep.

“I’m sorry if I woke you.” She apologizes. “I usually get up early in the Fright Zone. My mom doesn’t like me sleeping late, so I get up when she gets up. It’s become a sort of routine.” She tells me, coming out of the bathroom.

She’s dressed in just a towel, the same one I gave her to use last night is wrapped around her body and she seems to have found another smaller towel - the hand towel from the bathroom - to dry her hair with.

She dries it as she stands in front of the door. I can’t help but blush. After all, she must have just finished showering, the steam is still emanating forward from the bathroom.

“Oh, no.” I say, coming back to reality. “You didn’t wake me. The stupid sun did.” I motion towards the window behind me.

“Oh, okay, good.” She answers simply. “What time do you usually wake up?” She asks me.

“Me?” I say, as if there was someone else in the room she was asking. Duh, she means me. “Um, well, I don’t know. I think it’s different for everyday, but on holidays like this one, I usually like to sleep in. I sleep as late as I possibly can before someone like my mother or Bow comes into my room to wake me up. And that’s usually around… 9:00 AM? 8:30?” I tap my chin in thought about it.

It’s hard to remember things when your mind is still in the process of waking up.

“Well, if you’re still tired…” She trails.

“No, it’s okay. I’m…” I break my sentence only to yawn. “… awake now.”

She chuckles softly, to herself. I think that’s the first time I’ve really heard her laugh since she’s been here. She finishes drying her hair and allows her arm to hang by her side, the washcloth dangling from her hand. Where she’s standing, with the light coming in from the window, it almost looks like her whole silhouette is glowing. With her blonde hair, she could be the sun herself.

Why does that sound familiar to me, somehow?

“You don’t seem like it.” She remarks next.

“Well, I will be.” I tell her dismissively. “I guess you’ve figured out how the shower works without needing to be told?”

“Oh, yeah.” She answers. “I know I took a shower last night, but I wanted to be fresh for the day ahead today. So I woke up early and took another one. I hope you don’t mind.” She smiles and I swear the room is glowing even brighter.

“Totally fine, don’t worry.” I manage a smile back.

And I don’t think I’ve smiled nearly as much as I have with Adora here with me these past few hours.

Her stomach growls rather loudly. I can hear it from where I’m still sitting in my bed.

“You sound pretty hungry.” I add, a moment later.

“Yeah, I guess I am.” She can only say back in response.

“Well, then we should get you some breakfast.” I tell her, swinging my legs over the sides of the bed towards the steps that lead up to it and beginning on my climb down.

“Will your mother mind? I mean… I should really be getting back to the…” She begins to say, but I cut in.

“I’m sure she won’t mind giving you breakfast to eat, first.” I make my way down the steps and over to her. “I’ll just be a moment in the bathroom, and then we can go have some breakfast together.”

Adora nods and I head into the bathroom to use it. I splash some water on my face and once that’s done, try to wake myself up for the day. I look myself in the mirror, telling myself that I can do this. I will convince her to let Adora stay. Once I’m sure I’m ready, I leave the bathroom. She’s already finished putting on that same sweatshirt and those same sweatpants she slept in last night.

I grab her hand and begin leading her to the dining room.

“Whoa, that was fast.” She comments as I feel her hand adjust within my grip. She definitely wasn’t expecting me to peel out of the bathroom, ready for war, like that.

“Yeah, well, maybe I’m a little hungry too.” I answer back.

Adora can say nothing to that and soon, we’re at the table. My mother is already awake, and the food is seemingly already on the table. The kitchen staff must wake up super early to prepare all this stuff.

I look at the table, and there happens to already be three places set. As I expected, she is going to feed my new friend breakfast.

“Good morning Glimmer, and you as well, young lady.” Mom greets us both.

“She has a name, Mom.” I say, though I haven’t let go of her hand yet.

My mother’s eyes travel downward to our joined hands. I don’t think I really notice this, but Adora does and suddenly she’s pulling her hand away from mine. She blushes and bows her head. I don’t know what for, it’s not like we’re royalty or anything. Then again, it must seem like we are being that we’re from two different worlds, it seems.

“I see, and what is your name, then?” She doesn’t seem to comment on my tone. I guess she doesn’t want to fight in front of our guest.

“It’s Adrora, ma’am.” She speaks, even with her ponytail flopped over in front of her face and her whole body still bent at a weird angle.

When she tries to stand back up, she nearly loses balance, but quickly catches it with a hand against the framing of the table adjacent.

I have to stifle a smile that wants to creep over my mouth as she does that. A hand comes up instead to rest over my lips as I turn my gaze away from Adora and my mother.

“Well, it’s lovely to properly meet you Adora. My name is Angella. As you might have guessed, I am Glimmer’s mother.” She stands up and walks over to my new friend.

For a moment, I think she’s going to remind her swiftly that she needs to leave after this. For a moment, I think she’s going to make a comment about why she wasn’t sleeping in the guest bedroom last night. For a moment, I think she’s going to ask to excuse both herself and me so that she can scold me for last night.

Instead, she just offers her hand to shake. Adora looks at the hand in front of her a moment, and then takes it in her own. She gives it a welcome shake back. My mother actually smiles - a thing I don’t see her do very often.

“And you don’t have to bow to me. I’m no queen.” She tells her, in a hushed tone.

“Oh, uh, yes ma’am. I mean… Angella… I mean… Glimmer’s mom. I mean…” She rambles, as she lets go of my mother’s hand and resists the temptation to bow again.

My mom smiles, and allows a small laugh through. That’s more than I’ve seen her do in a long time. It’s all because of Adora. In just a few hours she’s managed to brighten both of our lives.

And though I know certain things about her now, I can’t help but wonder just who she is - who she truly is.

“Just Angella is fine.” Mom tells her.

“Please, won’t you sit and join us for some breakfast? We have an array of food to choose from. We have eggs and bacon, or if you’d like something else, we have rolls and toast and butter or cream cheese available. If none of that suits your fancy, I could have the kitchen cooks whip up something more to your tastes.” She offers.

“No, no.” Adora’s already waving her hands in disbelief with this sincere smile on her face. “All of this is good. It’s enough, really, it is. Back home, I hardly ever get to eat a full breakfast. It’s usually just some protein bar I can scrounge up, or some fruit from one of the vendors.”

My mother’s brow quirks as she says that. I notice it, but I don’t say anything about it. I just wonder what’s going through her mind.

“I see.” She says, a beat later. “Well, then, please sit and enjoy this breakfast then.” She invites her once again.

Adora, fearing what might happen if she doesn’t listen, sits down rather quickly. She looks to my mother, who gives her a nod, and then she begins to collect food from the different plates onto the empty one she’s taken for herself. Even now, I can see in Adora’s eyes that she’s needing my mother’s approval for everything.

Something about that bothers me, so I figure right now is the perfect time to bring up my thing. I take a deep breath in and sigh it out.

My mother is raising a teacup to her lips to sip on some of her morning tea. She opens one eye and looks at me out of it.

“Care to join us for some breakfast, Glimmer?” She asks, politely, but I can sense a bit of a prickly tone in her voice.

“I will.” I state, and she thinks that’s the end of it. However, she’s wrong. “If Adora can stay.”

Not only does my mother nearly drop the tea out of her mouth and barely manage to keep it from spilling over her lip, but Adora freezes, fork midair before her mouth, full of eggs.

Adora’s eyes shift to look at me and my mother sets her tea down onto the porcelain plate that matches it. She wipes her mouth slowly with a napkin, and then sets that back on the table too. It’s a moment of silence, and before anyone else can interject, I continue on.

“You said she could stay last night because of the storm.” I point out. She folds her hands together, placing her elbows on the very edge of the table. “You said that first thing tomorrow morning - this morning - she would have to leave, maybe after breakfast.” I continue.

She looks at me. The gaze in her eyes is asking me, silently, if I have a point in all of this.

“But, honestly, what kind of person tosses someone out on Christmas day? And with all this snow on the ground? We show her some hospitality and then she can’t stay? Even if she’s a total stranger to you, Mom, she doesn’t deserve that. Not on this holiday either.” I stand up to her.

My hands grip the back of the chair I’m standing behind.

“I’m not suggesting that she stay forever, but at least for today. I’ve… gotten to know her, and I know that she wouldn’t have much to return to if she went back home. The least we can do for her is allow her somewhere safe and warm to stay for Christmas, right?” I make my case.

My mom just keeps looking at me. Her expression has become unreadable, save for maybe a bit of an angry gleam in her eyes. I’m testing her patience, I can already tell. What I’m wondering is why she hasn’t lost her composure yet, as she often does. I say something that is ‘out of line’ or ‘out of the question’ and she’s the first to deny it to me, and raise her voice to prove her authority. However, she’s not doing that this time. Why?

“Well…? Why won’t you say something?” I urge her to speak. She’s been silent for too long.

“That is what I said, yes.” Mom finally speaks, and doesn’t deny that that is what she said. Adora’s placed her fork down by now, and closed her mouth.

“So, you’re just going to **let** her walk back out into all of **that**?! Without letting her have a place to celebrate Christmas? You’re going to allow her to just go back to whatever awaits her in the…” This time, my mom interrupts me.

“Glimmer, I’m sure Adora has clothes that need to be washed from yesterday.” She states. What place does that have in this conversation?

“What does that have to…” Again, Mom interrupts me.

“Doesn’t she?” She isn’t responding to my request. Why?

“Yes, she does. They should be drier now that they’ve been in front of the heater in my room. Why?” I answer.

“I’d like for you to go take care of them for her, please.” She requests.

“What?” I say back, in response. It just falls out of my mouth.

“Please, go do that.” She continues on, with the same request.

“Why aren’t you answering me about my request? instead, you’re telling me to go wash her clothes and straighten them up? For what reason? They’re just going to get ruined again if you send her home in all of **this**!” I motion my hands towards outside where there is a considerable amount of snow on the ground, still.

The sun isn’t doing much to melt it all.

“Glimmer.” She states my name firmly, but not in a way that would alarm Adora. “I’m asking you to do something. Would you please go take care of it, for the time being? When you’re finished, you may come back and have some breakfast. Alright?”

Her voice doesn’t break into an angry tone once. It stays level and sweet. Adora looks at me, expectantly. I suppose she doesn’t want to be the reason of the divide between my mother and I.

Knowing that nothing is going to happen unless I do that, I groan and make my way back for my room. I will collect her clothes and go wash them as my mother requests. Our laundry room is all the way down in the basement, so I have a long ways to go - and quite a few staircases to descend - till I’m finally down in the laundry room. I don’t usually do my own laundry, so I guess I’m going to have to figure out how the machines work too.

I grumble on my way down and I’m sure the two of them can hear it as my footfalls fade beyond earshot of the dining room.

Why did this have to be done right now? I don’t understand. And I could tell I was angering my mother, so why didn’t she fight back? She was so adamant about sticking to her rules and decisions yesterday, and now, it’s totally different. Ugh, I don’t understand that woman sometimes! I can only imagine what’s going on upstairs!

* * *

“I do apologize for sending her off so suddenly. You probably feel just a bit more comfortable with Glimmer here, don’t you?” Angella says, after she’s sure I’m out of the room and cannot hear them talk.

“Oh, no.” Adora answers, her back finding the back of the chair. She sits up straight, perhaps wanting to show polite manners in front of my mother. “That’s okay. I mean.. yeah, I uh… do, if I’m speaking honestly, but…” She rambles again, and then decides it’s best to just shut up. “… I mean, thank you for asking her to take care of my clothes.”

My mother unfolds her hands and resumes eating her breakfast leisurely. How I wish I was still in that room! To be hearing what’s going on right now, ugh, why did I have to take care of clothes?

“You deserve to have clean clothes, dear.” My mother states, kindly. “Now that they’re dry, we can wash them so they’ll be clean.” She adds, a moment later.

“Right, but…” Adora trails. “If I may…” She tries to continue her thought. My mom takes another sip from her teacup and looks over at her.

She may just well be interrogating her, right? And that’s it - that’s the end of my friendship with Adora. She’ll realize how much of a control freak my mother can be and she’ll never want to come back ever again. Thanks Mom.

“… did you send Glimmer off to take care of the clothes purposefully?” She asks, with a hand to her chin.

“How very observant of you.” My mother returns to her. “How ever did you know that?”

“Well, I just thought that with all the staff you have here in this place, usually one of them would take care of something like that? So, to ask Glimmer to go do it must mean that you want to speak with me alone?” Adora’s smarter than she looks.

Angella just nods.

“Well, that is precisely right. I did want to speak with you alone. I wanted to have a chance to get to know you. After all, you came at a very late hour of night last night, and I think it was rather… improper of me to have sent you off like that without truly talking to you.” At least Mom has manners. “And you don’t need to sit like that, all straight and uptight, you may sit how you wish to sit around me.” She adds on.

Adora sighs out the tension in her body and allows her back to curve inside the seat.

“Oh thank goodness.” She says in her sighed breath. “I was beginning to think I had to stay like that. You may not be an actual queen, but you certainly behave like one.”

My mother’s lips twist in delight as she takes another sip of her tea and then sets the cup down once more.

“Well, thank you for the compliment, dear.” She thanks Adora. “The first question I will ask is… how old are you?”

“Oh, um.” Adora has just put some eggs into her mouth. She chews them a bit, and then answers. “Eighteen, ma’am. I’ll be nineteen in January of this coming year.”

“Oh, you’re right around Glimmer’s age, then. She just turned eighteen this month, earlier on.” She remarks.

Adora makes a face like she didn’t really know that. There’s silence for a brief moment, and then my mother continues on.

“Where do you come from?” She settles on.

“The Fright Zone.” Adora answers honestly. “But, don’t worry, I’m no bandit or anything like that. I help out most of the vendors and merchants there in delivering supplies to other places. I try to keep our… um… home clean, where my mother and I live. And most of the time, I just try to make conversation with people around the town, since there isn’t much else to do.” She explains in full.

My mother takes a moment, but then nods. She takes the utensils back into her hands so that she may resume eating her breakfast.

“I see.” Angella first responds. “Well, while that place is not my favorite place to be, I feel sorry for you. It must be hard to live there without much to do. After all, kids need excitement.” She comments next.

Adora awkwardly agrees with a small laugh.

“Yeah, I just wish I had some friends to do something exciting with - like um, play games or something. But, no one there is my age, and there are no real games to play that are fun. It’s just been me and my mom the entire time. But, that’s okay. I do what I’m supposed to do, and nothing else.” Adora manages a smile.

That line catches my mom off guard. She isn’t expecting to Adora to be so simple a person. I know what she’s expecting - some ragtag kid who lives like a punk on the streets, taking advantage of anything and everything she can. But that’s not who Adora is, and I think she’s defying my mother’s expectations, even now.

Ugh, how does this stupid machine work? Do you place the detergent in before or after the clothes have gone in? I have to figure this out!

“Well, that’s good to hear.” Angella can only respond with; she doesn’t have much to say. “So, what brings you to Bright Moon?” She decides to ask next, cutting off a piece of her breakfast sausage and placing it in her mouth.

“Well…” Adora trails and allows her fork to set down on the table.

“We don’t usually have Christmas gifts for each other because of our… financial situation. But, this year, my mom gave me $20. She doesn’t usually do that, because she likes to collect and build upon the money she makes from her job. She told me to use it for food if I needed it, but I was holding onto it for something special. What could be more special - I thought - than a Christmas present for her?” She explains.

My mother doesn’t say anything else, so Adora continues once more. She only pauses to take a sip of the glass of water that’s next to her plate.

“I didn’t want to go shopping for anything in the Fright Zone either. She’d know it was from there, and it wouldn’t be as special either. So, I thought coming to Bright Moon to find a gift would be better than anything.I’m not sure I could afford anything on $20, but I had to give it a try.” She tells my mother.

“So… you decided to journey here in the middle of a blizzard? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” Angella asks.

“Well, yes, ma’am, I do.” Adora responds.

“But, I mean…. Christmas is today, right? I didn’t want the gift to be late, so I figured I’d just dress in my warmest possible clothes and make the trip over. And besides, when I left, it didn’t seem like it was snowing too badly. I only got caught up in it when I got closer to Bright Moon.” Her explanation continues.

“Well, I suppose you can’t be blamed for being unable to predict the weather.” My mother responds, reasonably. “So… you really came all this way just to find something to give your mother for Christmas?” She asks, again, as if that’s the part of the story you’re supposed to find unbelievable.

* * *

Okay, I think I got it now. I think you’re supposed to put the clothes in first and then fill it up with water, and then dump the detergent in, and watch it kick on. Okay, I can do this.

I first place Adora’s jacket in, and then her hat, after unfolding the flap of it that’s usually folded inward. I drop her socks in really fast, and her shirt. Since her pants have pockets, I search them first before putting them in. After all, anything she may have in there, I don’t want to get ruined.

It’s as my hands goes into her left pants pocket that I feel something there. Gently, I take it out and discover it’s $20. It’s a good thing I checked her pockets; I wouldn’t want this to get ruined in the wash. I make sure there’s nothing else left in the pockets and when I find nothing, I toss it into the machine. With no more clothes in my hands, I close the lid and allow the water to slowly fill up.

I look at the bill between my hands. I study it and turn it over to its other side. I raise the bill up to the lights that are on in the basement - the ones I put on when I came down here. That’s when I notice something strange.

“Hold on…” I mumble to myself. “Why does she have this?” My eyes are drawn to the silver letter ‘G’ inside the heart, drawn on the side I’m looking at.

I would know this bill anywhere. I would know it anywhere because it’s…

“Mine.” I mutter the word out loud, but I’m unaware I’ve even said it. I hear the washer filling to near capacity.

My attention on this twenty in my hands cannot be for long, as I rush back over to the machine. I open the lid and find that it’s nearly done filling, which means I have to place in the detergent. I stuff the bill into my pocket and then bring the detergent over. I need to measure it out.

Geez, I don’t know how the cleaning staff does this all the time. Even doing it just once is so annoying!

* * *

“Yes, I did come all this way just to find a gift. But I’ve been held up here, it seems. So, thanks for letting me stay the night.” Adora says, as she takes another forkful of eggs into her mouth.

“It isn’t a problem. I just hope your mother isn’t worrying too much for you. That is the reason I wanted to send you home so quickly, you know. Despite what Glimmer will have you believe, I was only thinking of your mother and how she must feel. Her daughter isn’t home during the night and is seemingly not back the next day either. It worries us, as parents, to see anything happen to our…” Angella trails and this time, Adora interrupts.

“I understand.” She says right away. “I wasn’t planning on overstaying my welcome either. I didn’t ask Glimmer to stay, I think she came up with that idea all her own. Last night, we talked about some things and…” Adora trails, and it’s my mother’s turn to interrupt with a comment of her own.

“I understand.” She answers in much the same way Adora just did. “You’re friends, and it’s not everyday that my daughter makes a new one of those. I could tell this was her idea from the moment she brought it up. I’m a little surprised that you didn’t sleep in one of the spare rooms, though.” Angella makes a sly comment.

Adora’s face goes red as she says that. Her body tenses up as she folds her arms in her lap. She looks downward too, not sure what to do or how to respond to that.

“It’s alright though.” My mother says a moment later. “My daughter is obviously very… enthusiastic about her new friend, and that must have also been her idea.” She says.

Adora can only nod to that statement.

“So then, Adora.” My mother folds her hands again, and places her elbows on the table. “How would you like to stay?”

Adora looks over at my mother with these wide blue eyes. She nearly chokes on the air she’s just inhaled.

“W-What…?” She coughs a bit.

“I simply asked if you’d like to stay and spend Christmas with us.” Angella clarifies what she means.

“I… I can do that?” Adora blurts out.

“That’s why I’m asking. Of course, if you’d rather return home promptly then I won’t stand in the way of that.” Angella offers again.

“Oh, well…” Adora trails and allows her form to relax just that much more. “Then… I’d love to stay. You really do have a nice home here, and I’d love to see more of it.”

She smiles.

My mother smiles as well.

“Is that so?” She answers. “Well, then as soon as Glimmer comes back and finishes eating her breakfast, what say you two go on a tour of the place?”

“That would be great.” Adora responds.

“Wonderful.” Angella remarks as she finishes her tea. “I shall take care of my plate now. Relax, please take your time in enjoying your breakfast.”

She stands and picks up the plate to bring with her. She takes a step but stops before she gets anywhere. My mother turns to face Adora, once more.

“Oh, and Adora?” She speaks, kindly.

Adora peeks her head up from where it is near her plate, still eating whatever’s still collected on it.

“Merry Christmas.” She wishes her a happy holiday and then struts off to the kitchen to take care of her things.

“Merry Christmas.” Adora tries to say, but can only get some of the way through the words as my mother walks away and into the kitchen. I’m sure she’s heard her, anyway, though.

“OKAY.” I say as I am now standing at the top of the stairs. My voice carries into the dining room, where Adora can barely resist a laugh.

“I think I’ve got it all figured out. The clothes are in the wash now, and I am back, so prepare yourself, Mother, because I am not giving up on the idea that Adora-….” I begin saying as my steps carry me to the dining room itself.

As I enter, I notice it’s only Adora. I look back and forth, but no, my mother isn’t anywhere to be found.

“Adora…?” I repeat her name, but this time in a question.

“Yeah?” She says, chewing on a piece of bacon, half sticking out of her mouth.

“Where’s my mother…?” I ask.

“Oh, she said she had to take care of some things.” Adora answers me. It’s just like my mom to get up and walk away in the middle of a conversation, after making me do chores that I have no idea how to do and -

“Ugh, doesn’t she **ever** listen to me? I’m trying to make a case for why you should stay with us this Christmas and she just…” I’m a little annoyed that she would do this, honestly.

“But, Glimmer.” Adora tries to say.

“She’s being unbelievable. Is she really just going to feed you breakfast and then kick you out? What’s the point of washing your clothes then?!” I continue to ramble.

“Glimmer.” Adora tries again.

“I mean, ugh… you know?” I groan again.

“Glimmer!” She says my name as loudly as she can because she’s really trying to catch my attention. This time, it works. I take a moment to breathe and then look at her.

She smiles. What’s she smiling for? This isn’t a moment where one smiles.

“She told me that after you have your breakfast, she’d like for you to take me on a tour of your home because I want to see the whole thing.” She tells me.

Great, more things to do. I swear, sometimes my mother behaves just like a queen and makes this her very own castle.

“ **More** work?!” I grumble.

“She said that she’d like you to do this because…. I’m staying.” Adora says.

It takes me a moment to process just what Adora has said.

“What?” I say, my voice going back down to a normal volume.

“She told me while you were downstairs that… I can stay. And then she told me she had some things to take care of, wished me a Merry Christmas and went away. So… I guess as soon as you’re done with your breakfast we can go on that tour.” Adora chuckles softly to herself.

I guess she’s just as clueless as I am what made my mother change her mind.

Well, at this point, I’m not sure it matters. This is the best gift ever! Spending Christmas with Adora is sure to be fun, and I can’t believe my mother agreed to it! I won’t make her regret this decision.

“I should probably get started eating some breakfast, huh?” I move to sit down next to her and gather a plate of eggs and bacon for myself. There is already a glass of water on the table that no one’s drank from - that will be mine.

I can’t wait for Adora to see the entire mansion. I’ve seen her home, after all. She should get to see mine.

I know I’ve said this like a million times already but: I CAN’T WAIT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're liking it so far.   
> I have one more chapter that I've written that I will post tonight. Again, if there are any grammatical errors, I do apologize. Please kindly point them out to me in the comments so that I may fix them as promptly as I can. 
> 
> Thanks, and thanks for reading!


	6. Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora celebrates her first Christmas with someone other than her 'mother', and it couldn't be more perfect.

“Glimmer, maybe you should slow down.” Adora suggests, but it’s too late.

I’m already cramming the eggs and the bacon into my mouth. I think this is the fastest I’ve ever eaten breakfast. A swig of water to wash it all down, and my plate is clean. (And it only took three forkfuls).

“I’m sorry.” I tell her, as I wipe my mouth with the napkin from the table. “I’m just so excited you’re spending Christmas with m-.. us - that I can hardly sit still.” I get to show Adora where I live - like - all of it. Knowing even that she wants to see the whole thing shows me she’s interested in coming back. Yay! My mother **didn’t** chase her away. (And neither did I, for that matter).

Well, the hope is that she’ll come back, anyway.

As soon as my water is finished, I grab at Adora’s hand and pull her along to start the tour. I can’t help the big smile that has grown on my face, even a stray giggle makes its way out of my mouth. She also manages a small laugh, after a ‘whoa’ from being pulled.

I take her to different rooms with different purposes; down to the basement where those wretched laundry machines are; upstairs again to the kitchen, the den, and still yet to my mother’s quarters. I show her some of the spare rooms, which don’t look like much, being that no one ever really stays here, so there isn’t a need for them. I round a corner and begin on my way down the main hall.

“Here you have the main corridor.” I say as I gesture towards the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. I feel like a tour guide on one of those nature safaris.

Adora is busy looking all around her. She looks at the floor and notices the thin carpet pathway, and the intricate designs woven into it. She redirects her gaze up at the ceiling and notices just how vast it is. It curves upwards and inwards unto itself, and even that looks like it has a nice paint job. Finally, her eyes settle on something else entirely.

“People say this mansion was originally built a long time ago. Something like…. 90 years ago? I think? You’ll have to ask my mom about that. It definitely has a history, but it’s been touched up a bunch since then. We’ve really made it our home.” I tell her, though she doesn’t seem responsive.

Of course, I fail to notice that she’s interested in something else behind me. That might be because I had my back to her. I get the feeling that if I ever **was** a tour guide, I’d be bad at it.

I turn around and walk over to her. My eyes follow her gaze and look upon what she’s currently so enthralled in.

Even as I near her, she doesn’t look at me. It’s like she’s never seen art before.

“Um… is everything alright, Adora?” I ask, just in case.

“This wall looks different from all the others.” She points out. “I mean… it has a painting on it. Actually, it has several.” She adds.

“Well, yeah.” I start. “It’s a mural.” I answer.

She looks at me quizzically. Does she not know what a mural is? Still, the inquisitive gleam in her eyes makes my mind go blank for a moment. She’s just so bright, and I don’t know how one could **not** stare at her.

Oh, right. She’s expecting an answer.

“That’s… my dad.” I point to one of the figures. It looks to be a man with bushy black hair, a beard and dressed quite richly.

“He died when I was a little kid. I don’t really have any memories with him. So… I can’t really tell you what he was like. But my mother says that he was the gentlest, most loving father a kid could ever want.”

“I’m sorry.” Adora says, and I only realize now that she must think I’m still sad about it.

“Oh, don’t be.” I say first. “It happened a long time ago. And while I do wish I could have really met him… known him…. it doesn’t bother me like it used to, anymore. I mean… I’ve made peace with the fact that he’s gone. And besides…” I trail.

“If I ever feel like talking to him, all I have to do is come to this very wall and say what I need to say.” I try to sound as bright about it as possible.

Adora, I see, still isn’t swayed.

“Well, even if you’re okay.” She starts. “Losing a parent is hard enough and I’m sorry you had to go through that. It’s sweet though… that you come here to talk to him. And the mural looks really nice.” Adora says, in the nicest way possible.

Is she sure she’s from the Fright Zone? Isn’t it more accurate to say… heaven?

“Thanks.” I can only say in response.

“So, then, this is like a sort of memorial for him.” She continues, gesturing to the mural. “For your family.”

“Something like that.” I nod.

As I move my head, the light from the sun comes in front of my eyes. For a moment, I don’t see anything but that ray that’s shining in my face. Once I move again, I can see a different ray reflect onto Adora. She’s moved forward into the light and it’s making her hair glow. Each of the corridors has these large plated glass windows that don’t open. It allows all sorts of light in - during the day, it’s sunlight, and during the night, it’s moonlight. There are no lights in the hallways, so it makes sense you’d rely on the light from outside to get where you need to go.

Still, it can be really pretty sometimes.

As it is now.

Though normally the sun just means another day in Bright Moon, today it means something different. She’s standing there, admiring the mural, smoothing her hand gently over the surface of the wall and tracing the lines; here I am admiring another piece of art. I swear, she looks just like a goddess in one of those fantasy books might with the sunlight hitting her the way it is. I feel something come upon me, this weak feeling, like I haven’t eaten. I don’t know why - I mean - I just scarfed down breakfast.

The longer I look at her, the more I feel warm, and I’m not sure if it’s because we’re standing directly in the sun or if it’s for some other reason.

Look away, Glimmer! Look. Away!

As I peel my eyes away from her and start to look downwards at the floor, I can feel that cool wave begin to slowly rush over me. I’ve never quite found my shoes so interesting, before. It’s only as her voice breaks again, and startles me back to reality, that I nearly stumble. I manage to catch myself before I do, though.

“So.” She starts, after a good few moments of silence have passed between us. “Oh, sorry, did I scare you?”

“It’s fine… I’m fine!” I say, a little too quickly. It causes her to cock her eyebrow at me, and cross her arms in front of her chest.

“Anyway, what?” I also cross my arms and pout.

“Does that mean that when your mother… um… dies… that she’ll be added to this mural too?” She asks. I’m impressed she’s figured that out.

“Yeah. She’s already picked out her spot.” I point to the position on the wall. Adora follows my movement with her eyes.

“And that means also that… when you eventually… die… you’ll be added too.” She is asking, but it seems more like a statement. Her voice quivers just a bit as she says that.

“Yeah.” I say, with a breath exhaled. “Eventually, I’ll be here too. But that won’t be for a long time. You know. Till after I’ve grown up and taken over this place for myself, and been married, and all that stuff. But, that’s all yearsssss away.” I wave my hand in the air dismissively.

Usually, I’m okay with talking to people. Around Adora, I feel like a mess. I feel like the first thought in my head is going to fall out of my mouth, always.

“Oh.” She says, weirdly.

For a moment, I worry I’ve said too much, or the wrong thing, but she’s just in thought about something.

“Well yeah, I can see why that would be a long way away.” She agrees.

“Yeah.” I give a small, awkward laugh.

There’s a beat of silence between us.

I want to ask her what she wants for the future, but something in me stops me from asking her. After all, she may not even know the answer.

“Well, is there more to this tour?” Adora asks, suddenly.

“Yeah, of course.” I smile and start to move down the main corridor to other places we have not seen yet.

This time, instead of having to grab her hand, she holds it forward for me to grab. I look down at it, perhaps the faintest blush upon my cheeks.

“Well, then, lead the way.” She smiles, and in the sun, she looks like beauty becomes her.

I take her hand in mine, gently, and pull her along the way.

“There’s tons of stuff you haven’t even seen yet.” I tell her, excitedly, and we’re off to more adventures in the mansion.

* * *

“You give the girl $20, and she disappears.” A woman makes a comment in a land a little ways from mine.

She seems to be sifting through things in her home.

“I wonder where my Adora’s gone off to this time.” She keeps on her search.

“Where is that damn card?” She mutters to herself. “Of course, things go missing when you need to find them.”

She continues to dig around for the missing card, and instead finds a note.

“What’s this?” She mumbles, noticing it must have fallen to the floor somewhere in all her frantic searching; she reads it aloud.

“Shadow Weaver, I’ve gone to Bright Moon to go shopping for something. I’ll be back soon.” Shadow Weaver reads it aloud, and flips the note over to see if there’s more to it on the back.

That’s all it says.

She flips it back to its front and places it on the counter.

“Ah, so that’s where you’ve gone off to.” Shadow Weaver mutters to herself, almost as though she’s speaking to Adora, herself. “I wonder what there is in Bright Moon for you that you can’t find right here in the Fri-…” She interrupts her own thought.

“Perhaps there **is** something there for you that you can’t find here.” She pauses to consider the possibility that it’s me. “The young lady I read the other day. So, you’ve found your way to her…” She trails in thought.

It’s a moment of silence before she angrily slams her fist into the counter where the note from Adora lay.

“It appears my tarot reading skills are getting better with age.” Shadow Weaver scoffs at herself.

“I knew what I predicted was true, I just didn’t think it would happen so soon. And it wouldn’t happen at all if I had anything to say about it. But now that you’re there, Adora… I think we can still make this work. Yes… stay there, get closer to **her** , I may have a plan that can save us both yet.” She smirks to herself. No one is around to see it, but that doesn’t make it any less eerie.

It isn’t until the angle of her body - her head - changes, that Shadow Weaver is able to spot something she didn’t see before. Underneath the counter she’s currently standing at, laying at a weird angle on the floor is the precise card she’s looking for. She bends down to pick it up and turn it over so that its face is facing her.

She blows the dust off of it, and briefly coughs in the cloud of it by her face. Had she not been wearing a mask, she would have coughed more.

“Ah, there it is.” She remarks, in a tone of voice that sounds so cheery, it’s almost comical. It calms back into its usual dark lull. “The Moon. You’ve been hiding from me for quite some time, but I’ve found you. And now that I have, I think you’ll be full for the rest of time.”

Again, creepy.

* * *

We can hardly stop laughing, something’s obviously caught our funny bone. For the rest of the tour, Adora hasn’t let go of my hand. That’s okay, I’m definitely not complaining about it. Her hand feels really soft to hold. Perhaps, a little clammy sometimes, but I don’t mind that at all. In fact, I have to stop myself from performing this urge that I have to smooth my thumb over the back of her hand.

“Well, that’s it for the tour.” I tell her.

“Come on, that can’t be it. There has to be more to this place.” She remarks. I don’t know why she thinks that - I literally just said this is the end.

“Nope, that’s all there is to see.” I say again. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Oh, that was anything but disappointing.” Adora follows my comment. “I seriously can’t believe you live here.” She says again.

“Well, I seriously can’t believe that you live in the Fright Zone.” I return to her.

Giggling the entire time through that conversation, we’ve only just begun to settle now.

It’s in this moment that I think… maybe I should bring something up with her. My hand gently moves towards the pocket of my pants - the one that has the $20 stuffed into it.

I do have more questions, but right now, this is the biggest one. I want to know why Adora has my $20 that I spent the other day. It’s unmistakably mine, and this moment, right here, feels… right to ask.

My fingers dip into the pocket, and then my hand slides in, like I’m going to put my hands in my pockets.

“Hey…” I trail. “Adora…?” I trail her name gently.

She looks at me with that radiant smile again. I become a little nervous, almost like I can’t ask her, but, I have to. I have to know.

“Um… do you… think…” I begin.

“Oh, Glimmer.” The butler-of-sorts comes into the room, suddenly. I suppose he must have been looking for me.

That snaps my attention right to him.

“What’s up, Pierre?” I answer.

“Well, your mother requests your presence in the den, promptly. You and Adora, that is.” He concludes his message.

“Okay, be right there.”

Pierre returns to whatever it his that he does.

“I wonder what my mom wants. Come on.” I turn to go in the direction of where my mother is - the den.

“Wait, Glimmer.” Adora catches my attention with that.

“What is it?” I turn around to face her again.

“You were going to ask me a question, just now. What was it?” Adora remembers where we were in conversation.

Right, well, I can’t ask her now; the moment’s gone. I take my hand out of my pocket.

“Well, um… do you think you’d want a cup of hot chocolate?” I complete it with something else.

“Is that all?” Adora turns her head in confusion. “It seemed like it was something else.”

The flow of conversation between us has become natural. It’s almost like we’ve been friends for years, even though it’s only been a day.

“No, that was it. I thought you might like a nice cup of hot chocolate after all that exploring. You know? Get into the Christmas spirit and all.” I smile.

“Oh, well, then, sure. I’d love to have a cup.” She smiles, as well. “If you’ll have one too.”

“Sure.” I nod.

“Now, let’s go see what Mom wants.” I start off in the direction of the den, stopping off only in the kitchen to tell the staff that I have an order for two hot chocolates.

As we approach the den, my mother is waiting there for us. She’s standing by the tree, and I finally catch sight of the time. It’s about 10:00 AM now. (Still too early, if you ask me).

“Ah, there you two are. I hope you enjoyed the tour, Adora.” Hearing my mother say her name is definitely a weird sensation.

“I did, thank you.” She says, happily.

I like this. There’s nothing but good vibes floating around us right now. I’m so glad my mom allowed Adora to stay and spend Christmas with us. With any luck, she’ll allow her back to visit.

“This isn’t about the talk we’re supposed to have, right? Because if we’re going to do that, then I’d rather Adora not be here.” I say really quickly.

Mom chuckles. “No, it’s not about that. It’s about your Christmas gifts.” She states next.

“Oh, we’re exchanging presents?!” I say excitedly. I rush over to the tree and bend down to pick up one with my name on it.

“Yes, we are.” Mom says, as she has already gathered a present behind her that has her name on it, from me.

For a moment, I break away from the excitement of opening up a present and look back to Adora. My expression droops as I realize…

“Oh, but, we didn’t get anything for you, Adora.”

“That’s okay.” She says, placing her hands up in front of her. “I didn’t expect to be here for Christmas, so it makes sense that you didn’t get me anything. And besides, I’m used to not receiving anything on Christmas. Just a sort of okay cup of hot chocolate with my mom, back home.” She smiles.

God, I love it when she does that.

“Ahem.” My mother clears her throat. “But she does have a gift. I made sure she would have at least one.” She holds it out for Adora to take. “From the both of us.” She adds, gently.

Adora steps forward to take it.

“T-Thank you.” She stutters out her reply, with a blush on her face that spreads to her ears. She’s so humble, and it’s so cute.

“Okay, open your presents….” My mom starts, then says: “… now.”

On the word now, I begin tearing at the wrapping paper. Scraps of it fall on the floor around me. My mother rips hers more methodically as she removes the ribbon that I **tried** to tie on there, neatly. It ended up looking more haphazard, though.

I’m already admiring my gift - a new silver necklace that has a half moon charm right at its center. It’s perfect.

My mother’s smiling at hers too. She turns over the gift in her hands, looking at its front and back, cherishing the new pastel pink blanket she’s just gotten from me.

She won’t be cold anymore in her own room.

We’re too busy with our own presents to notice Adora opening hers. She silently removes the top of the box and sets it aside. Inside, there is an ornament. It’s simple, but it sparkles in the lights of the den, and the subsequent sunlight that’s reaching even to here.

It has a red “A”, surrounded by a Christmas wreath. She picks it up in her hands by the part that allows it to hang from the tree.

“It’s…perfect.” She says to herself. Neither of us can here her, but there’s a smile as wide as I have ever seen on her face. All I need do is look over and the expression on her face fills me with joy.

I’m glad she’s getting the Christmas she deserves - even if it’s not the Christmas she expected.

Oh, but don’t you see, Adora? My mother could gift me with all the silver in his village, but it still wouldn’t measure up as the best present she could give me. The best gift was… getting to become friends with you.

My mother sees that you’re holding the gift in your hands, studying it. She smiles, and softly offers…

“Would you like to hang it on the tree?” She motions towards the tree that’s standing right beside me.

Adora nods and moves over, slowly, to the tree. As if she’s placing something fragile down, she places the ornament on the tree. There, it sits, in the center of the tree, where, honestly, there was a bit of blank space. Now, there doesn’t have to be.

“It’s perfect.” My mother says and it echoes Adora’s whispered sentiment from before.

I look at Adora, and smile up at her from where I’m sitting on the ground.

Yeah, it’s perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will write more when I can.   
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glimmer and Bow make a plan - the Best Friend Squad way.

It's January, already. It's _January 10th_ already! 

Could someone tell time to stop? Christmas came and went, and so did New Year's Day; I can hardly keep up anymore with how fast everything seems to be going. The snow's finally gone away, which means that Adora, has sadly, returned to the Fright Zone. It was nice having her while she was here, though. She's told me she's interested in visiting again soon, if she can manage to get away from the Fright Zone for long enough. 

I'm not sure who this mother of hers is, but she sounds like an.... interesting.... woman. 

But, with the snow off the ground and the weather returning to a more manageable state, Bow's back to coming over again! There was snow even for New Year's. Mom said it was too dangerous for anyone to be out there, especially because the temperatures had dropped _yet again_! I was becoming frustrated with the world. I thought, for a moment there, that I wasn't going to get to see Bow until the spring! 

That didn't happen though. He's back over today. We're exchanging gifts and wishing each other a 'happy new year' and sipping on some hot chocolate the kitchen staff has just made us. We have a movie paused on the TV that we watched only 20 minutes of, maybe, before we got to talking. There's just so much to catch up on!

My hot chocolate is still steaming and I can feel the warmth heat my hands in the most pleasant way. On top of mine, of course, is a mountain of whip cream fit for a queen, and those little chocolate sprinkles I like so much. 

For Bow, you just add a few little marshmallows and he's happy. Every time he has hot chocolate he has to make a comment about how cute the little marshmallows are. But, that's my Bow - the sensitive one. 

"Glimmerrrrrrrr." He says my name like he's witnessing the birth of a brand new puppy and I'm missing it. 

All I can do is smile as I look over at him, blubbering over his drink. "What?" I answer, gently. 

"Loooooook." He exclaims in whispered tones. He points to the marshmallows that are slowly melting into the hot chocolate. "They're so cute, but it's so sad that every time they have to die." His eyes look like they just might start shedding tears, for real. 

Need I remind him that it's only hot chocolate? 

I chuckle softly, to myself. "Bow, it's hot chocolate. The marshmallows are _supposed_ to melt. And you're supposed to drink it." 

"Tiny marshmallows you will be avenged!" Bow cries as he shakes his fist in the air with actual tears in his eyes. 

I can only shake my head. I love Bow and all his silliness. It really brightens my day, even if the joke has gone on just a little too long. He eventually settles, though, and blows on his drink so that he can begin sipping at it. I'm already swallowing mouthfuls, I don't care if my mouth gets burned or not. 

"So, what did you do for Christmas?" He starts up a conversation and it occurs to me that he doesn't know _anything_ about what happened here. 

"Oh... Oh my god." The phrase slips out of my mouth as I search for somewhere to put my mug. I place it on the floor, careful not to spill it. 

"Um... is that a good oh my god or..." He starts to ask, but I interrupt him. 

"It's a good one. It's a _very_ good one! Bow! You don't know what happened here on Christmas!" I exclaim, hands balled into fists and held tightly to my chest. I'm just so excited, I can't wait to begin telling the story. 

"Well, are you going to-" Bow begins, but, like I said, I'm really excited to tell the story. 

"So, Christmas was going to be just my mom and me because you couldn't make it. I thought it was going to be pretty boring and just something I'd have to get through, but it _wasn't_! I sat down to watch a movie with my mother and then got up to use the bathroom and outside one of the windows, during the blizzard, I saw someone walking to Bright Moon!" I tell him. My voice can hardly be contained right now. 

"Wait. Someone was walking in the middle of the storm? Are they okay?" He finishes taking a sip from his hot chocolate and places it in his lap, wrapping both his hands around the mug. Ever the concerned one, Bow. 

"Yes, they're just fine, or rather... _she's_ just fine!" I answer. He can tell this story is going places. "Anyway... I thought that maybe that was a tad bit dangerous for the person and that if they were coming to Bright Moon anyway, I should-" It's Bow's turn to interrupt me. 

"Glimmer, you didn't-" He begins, but my face gives me away. 

"Oh, but I _did_!" I say. 

He sighs. "Do you know how dangerous that is? You could have gotten hurt, or worse, stuck in the snow, and then your mother would have to come and find you and call the doctors and-" I clear my throat to get his attention. 

"Yes, but none of that happened." I say, kind of quickly. I just want to get on with telling the story, already. "Now, I went out there to get them, but when I asked the guard at the gate where they'd gone, the guard said she didn't know. So I hauled it all the way back to the mansion, _freezing_ , without anything to report." I take a pause, for a moment. 

"So then... where did the person go?" I suppose he wanted to say something like 'that's what you get for going out there in the middle of a blizzard', but instead he curbs his protective tendencies and asks the question that will advance the story. 

"Funny you should ask." I start again. "As I came back, I _thought_ I was going to get away with it. You know - because my mother was so busy watching her movie and I had managed to sneak out of the house without so much as a sound. But I was totally wrong. When I came back, she was waiting for me, right there in the entrance hall, and she looked _mad_." I tell him. 

"I can't imagine your mother would be happy to see that you went out into a storm, at nighttime, to find a stranger." Bow offers. 

"Yes, and she said as much to me. She also said a bunch of other things like: 'Did you think I wouldn't notice you were gone for a full 40 minutes?' and 'We will have a talk about this first thing in the morning, as it's late now'. And that's why I was grounded for the longest time over the time between just after Christmas and now. I had to serve my sentence for going out into the storm. But!" I begin again, in a new direction. "The person that was out in the storm actually showed up at our doorstep. Pierre - you know our sort-of butler, right? - let her in. She was shown to the entrance hall where my mother and I were and then she stayed the night." I describe. 

"Well, at least she had a nice place to stay. Hopefully, she was a nice person too?" Bow takes another sip after he finishes saying that. 

I nod. "The nicest." I answer. I can almost see his shoulders deflate in a sigh of relief. "And she stayed in my room all night. Actually, she slept with me." 

The hot chocolate he's just taken into his mouth is coughed on the way down. He hadn't been expecting me to say something like that. His eyes widen too, and I can tell maybe that he's shocked I would offer a place in my bed so intimately to a stranger. 

"Glimmer." He states. "You _do_ know at that point, she's a stranger, right? You probably didn't even know her name and you... you...." He trails. 

For once, I'm not sure if he's alluding to something he _thinks_ happened, or if he's actually having trouble asking if we shared the bed. I think it's the second one. 

"Yes, we shared the bed. And if your concern is about the other thing it could be... I'm not ready for that yet, so there's no chance that would happen." I point out. I imagine that doesn't make him feel any better. 

"Still! She's a complete stranger and you offered her a place to sleep in your bed? Glimmer, why would you do such a thing? Don't you know...?" He begins again, and for a moment I feel like I'm speaking to my mother. 

But, I get it. Bow's parents are oddly protective of him too, so it must rub off on him sometimes. 

"Yes, _yes_ , I know, okay? I know how dangerous and impulsive and reckless and stupid it is, but Bow!" I exclaim. "I can't explain it. I just felt like... like I knew her somehow. I mean, I don't. I didn't know a thing about her then, but, I felt this familiar air to her. Almost sort of like she could have been my friend. Like a close friend. It was weird. And I mean, she was an interesting person, and it made me want to know her better. So... it's not like we just climbed into bed and said goodnight without a word. We actually talked and learned stuff about each other. I know her name and where she's from, and kind of what her family situation is. And! It got even better because my mother allowed her to stay with us for Christmas, and she even got a gift and everything!" I finally get to the good part. 

"Well that was very nice of Angella. I have to admit, it's hard to imagine your mother letting anyone but me stay here." He says, matter-of-factly. "What's her name, though? And what did you learn about her?" Bow's feeling inquisitive now that I've told him everything. 

"Adora." I say her name with this stupid smile on my face. 

I can't help it. Thinking about the way it sounds inside my head brings me this feeling of bliss. It just rolls off my tongue when I say it too. I remember telling her that I thought it was pretty then, and it's still pretty now. For some reason, whenever that girl comes to mind, I get this goofy look on my face and I can't concentrate on anything but her, for a while. 

"And she's from the Fright Zone. She's adopted and doesn't know who her real parents are, but the woman who adopted her - she calls her 'Mom'. I know it sounds bad that she's basically from the Living Nightmare Place that you never ever want me to go to again, but she's not just some punk who's going to stab me in the back when I'm not looking. She's really nice, Bow. And trust me when I say that I trust her. She went on a tour of the mansion with me and had nothing but nice things to say. We became friends and - weather allowing - she says she wants to visit again soon. It feels like it's been a whole month since I've seen her, though, so I hope she's doing alright." I conclude, placing a thoughtful finger to my lips. 

Bow sets his hot chocolate down. He looks at me like I haven't told him enough. 

"What does she look like? I wasn't here to see this mystery woman, so..." He trails. 

Ah, right. Create a profile. How could I forget? 

"Well, she's got this long, blonde hair that just flows like silk, in my opinion. It's tied back into a ponytail. She's tall, probably like... your height or something. She wears a lot of red, and I think honestly, it's her color scheme or something. She's got skin that's as pale and as beautiful as like... an off-white snow. It's really soft too. We held hands as we took the tour. She has these bright, beautiful, blue eyes that you can't help but get lost in. It's like... she takes your breath away when she walks into a room." I describe to the best of my ability. 

"I see." He simply says, and I have no idea what he means by that. He does have this weird look in his eye though. One that I can't quite grasp what it is. "Well, she sounds nice and I'm glad you made yourself a new friend and had someone to spend Christmas with." He says again, quite simply. 

I know Bow well enough by now to know that he isn't telling me everything. That isn't fair, I just told him like _a lot,_ he should tell me something too. 

"Bow. What are you thinking?" I ask the question, settling in again with my hot chocolate that's started to cool a little by now. 

"Oh, nothing. Just something." He answers cryptically. "So, anything else you want to share about Adora? I have to say, I can't wait to meet her whenever she visits again." Bow continues. 

"Oh!" I remember something important. I dash off to grab the twenty dollars out of the pants it was left in days ago. I still haven't done my laundry. (Curse that wretched machine)! 

In a moment, I'm back in the den where we're sitting and I basically push the money into his face. He hardly has a chance to react like a normal person with the sudden bit of green in his field of vision. Bow tries his best not to spill hot chocolate as he rocks back onto his butt, trying to create some distance between the object and himself. After a moment, he speaks. 

"What's this?" He asks. "Twenty dollars?" 

"Yeah." I answer, as I step away so he can see it more clearly. I turn it over in my hands to look at the symbol that's facing me and smooth my thumb over it gently. 

"Why do you have twenty dollars?" He asks. "It's just a little random of a thing to run out of the room to get, is all." 

I turn the bill in my hands around promptly. "This is the reason I wanted to show you." I point to the symbol that is now facing him. "It has this 'G' written inside a heart on the back of it. It's drawn in silver permanent marker." 

He moves a bit closer to inspect what it is I'm talking about. He cups his chin with his hand and squints his eyes in thought. 

"Hmm... don't you usually mark your money with that symbol?" Bow asks. 

"Yes, I do." I answer him, matter-of-factly. 

"Okay, so what's so weird about this particular bill? I mean, _you_ have it, and we're here in _your_ house. Shouldn't that be a good thing that you didn't lose it?" Bow clearly doesn't get it. 

Which is why I'm going to explain it to him. 

"That's not what I'm trying to tell you." I begin. "This bill _was_ mine, but then I spent it. Remember that fortune teller lady I met in the Fright Zone back in December? The one who gave me a reading on my birthday?" 

He nods. 

"Well, this was the twenty I used to pay her." I tell him. 

"So, how did it wind up back here?" He inquires. 

"Well, Adora's clothes were wet because of the snow, so we let them dry out over night, and then the next day, I went to go wash them for her. When I went looking around in the pockets of her pants - just to make sure I wouldn't wash anything valuable - I found this. I was very curious myself why she had my money." I explain. 

"Ah, well, did you get the chance to ask her? Sometimes it's easiest just to ask." Bow suggests. 

"Well, there was one moment where I was going to ask her, but then it got interrupted. My mother - and all her perfect timing - called us in to exchange Christmas gifts. I asked if she wanted hot chocolate, instead." I really do still think back on that moment and if I had been just a bit braver, I could have learned the true reason she had my money. 

Bow takes a moment to think. "Well, if you said she's from the Fright Zone and you spent that money in the Fright Zone, it wouldn't be far off to assume that it probably came from there. Any number of circumstances could have happened here. It could have blown away and she could have picked it up. Or maybe the woman you gave it to spent it and she purchased something else and it was given to her as change." Bow thinks out loud. 

His speculation is helping me work through my very potent curiosity of why Adora had this. 

"Or... there is one more possibility." He trails, almost sort of like he doesn't want to say it. 

"What?" I spit out, before I'm even aware I'm talking, and then say... 

"What is it?" ...a little too urgently. 

"There's... the possibility that the woman you gave that to is Adora's mother." He says. "I mean... you did say she was adopted by a woman living in the Fright Zone and doesn't know who her parents are. I'm going to guess that they're not exactly rich because the Fright Zone isn't a place known for its wealth. So... it could be that the fortune teller and Adora's mother are the same person and that's where she got the money from." Bow reasons. 

The woman I met is named Shadow Weaver. If he means to suggest that Shadow Weaver is Adora's mother... 

"You're joking, right?" I almost spit at him. I feel my face curling into a smile, but only because I'm uncomfortable and trying to deal with it. "Shadow Weaver is Adora's mother? She can't be. That old woman was so... ugh, creepy. She gave me chills down my spine the longer I stayed with her, and Adora isn't like that. She has like zero creepiness to her. She's such a kind and warm person." I point out. 

"Just because someone was raised by someone else doesn't make that person like them. For instance, look at you and your mom. You would consider yourself to be different from her, right? Even if you have some things in common, it's not like you're the same person. I think the same is true of Adora and Shadow Weaver." Bow explains. 

Why does he have to be right all the time? 

"I guess that's true." I sigh, and take a seat back on the floor. By now the TV screen has turned completely blue and has the 'DVD' symbol bouncing around on it as a sort of screensaver. We've really been at talking about this a while now. 

Even my hot chocolate has cooled to be lukewarm now. 

Bow is suddenly struck with an idea. I can see it in his eyes that there's something he's not telling me. I want to ask, but even if I do, I doubt he'll tell me. Sometimes, he doesn't say things because he wants to protect me or whatever. It's not like I need saving, but it's probably best to just let this one go and get back to watching the movie. I sigh and place the money on the ground, beginning to look around for the remote - wherever that went. 

"I guess I'll never know why she had my twenty dollars." I remark, lowly. I really do believe that. 

A pause passes us by and then... 

"Why don't we find out?" He poses. 

"What do you mean?" I shoot back a look of confusion, the cushion to the couch now half falling off it with the way I'm searching for the missing remote. 

"Let's go and ask her ourselves." His eyes meet mine. 

"Bow, how are we going to do that? She lives all the way in the Fright Zone, and it's not like she's coming over any time soon." Seriously, where could that remote have gone? 

"Why do we have to wait for Adora to come over?" He asks in response. "We could go to the Fright Zone ourselves. Plan a trip and get our answer. I'm a little curious, myself, with all the things you've told me, and it would give me a chance to meet this Adora person." Bow smiles. 

Why does he have to be right all the time? 

And so smart too! 

"Bow, that's literally genius!" I say with a smile on my face that is too big to contain. "So, you'll really go with me? You're not going to back out at the last minute like... 'oh, but the Fright Zone is too dangerous to...' " He cuts me off again. 

"I admit the Fright Zone is dangerous, but if we look out for one another and go together, we should be fine. I'm not backing out of this one. I know how much you want your answer, and I really am looking forward to meeting her. After all, she seems like she's..." He hesitates for a moment, almost like he wants to say something else. "... a really good friend." 

"She is - or she will be since we've only known each other for a short time." I say. "But, this is going to be so fun! It means a lot to me that you would go somewhere like that with me just so I can get my answer to a question. But, I guess you do have a pretty good reason for going too." The smile has shrunk, but it's still there. 

He smiles too. "Of course. I'd do anything for you, you know that." 

Why does he always have to be so sweet? 

"Thanks, Bow. So... when are you thinking of taking the trip there? We could honestly go right now, if-" He interrupts. 

"Ah, maybe not right now. After all, I don't think I'm ready to see this person in all her glory yet. I've only just heard the stories, give me some time to process things, and then we can go. And..." He trails. "... my parents know that I'm here. I can't just go to the Fright Zone on a whim, because I won't be able to lie to them later when I return home about where I've been." 

"Your parents check up on you like that?" I ask, with a cocked eyebrow and crossed arms. I think the remote is a lost cause now. 

"They ask me where I've been because they're honestly interested in my day. It's not because they don't trust me." Bow explains. 

"I don't know a person in the world who wouldn't trust you, Bow." I answer. "You're the most trustworthy person on the planet." 

"I don't know about that, but thanks. Much appreciated." Bow smiles genuinely. 

"Okay, so we won't go tonight, then, since you're concerned about your parents finding out. So... when?" I ask, looking again to him for guidance. 

"Hmm.... maybe somewhere around the 19th? That seems like a good time to go. It's the dead of January and I'm not doing anything special with my parents." Bow suggests. 

"That sounds perfect. I'm sure not doing anything either." I state. 

"So then it's settled. January 19th, we'll go to the Fright Zone." He states. I nod. 

This trip is going to be so exciting, for a few different reasons. Bow has never seen the Fright Zone before, and he's always been scared of it. I can't wait to show him that it's really nothing to be worried about. There's also the fact that Bow gets to meet Adora now. I know I've been acting like she's been my friend for years and I can't wait for my friends to connect with each other, but, it's all just so exciting - I can't help it. God, I really hope that Adora and Bow get along. Then again, knowing them, they might get along a little too well. 

And... 

I'll finally have my answer. Why did you have this twenty dollar bill, Adora? I can't help wondering that. And I can't shake the feeling that the answer awaiting is going to be something.... 

...unexpected. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter is just as enjoyable as all the others. I haven't written in a while because I haven't really been feeling up to it.  
> I've also been quite busy with goings-on in my life, and haven't had the opportunity to write anything new, really.  
> I'm really trying to continue this story as regularly as possible. 
> 
> To all my readers who are actually reading this, thank you so much. I appreciate it and I hope you enjoy where the story goes.  
> Here's to hoping I can get more up soon-


	8. January 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Death is a necessary process to make way for new things. Such is the card, dear. It represents transformation and new beginnings. It could mean you're about to learn something new that will force you to reinvent the life you have as you've known it."
> 
> "A cold breeze rolls by and the cat meows in Adora's arms as the sun begins to lower in the sky on the horizon. It's painted the sky in many colors - orange and pink, and yellow - but all I can focus on is Adora and why those beautiful, blue eyes look so troubled now."

A week and two days went by so fast! (Yes I've been keeping track)!

Today is January 19th - the day that Bow and I would be going to the Fright Zone. We didn't exactly discuss a time, so he just sort of showed up at my house around 3:00 PM. 

"Glimmer." Pierre calls out from the main door. I have been putting a puzzle together on the floor of the den, a pillow cuddled right up against my chest to lean on. 

"Yeah?" I answer. 

"Your friend Bow is here to see you." He tells me. 

"Oh okay, thank you. Send him into the den, would you?" I ask. 

"Certainly." Pierre allows Bow to get past him.

Bow follows the gestured arm in the direction of the den. Soon, I see him emerge from beyond the wall. My eyes look up at him just as he steps into the room. He has a backpack situated on his back and it looks like he's way overpacked for this trip. I sit up and disregard my puzzle for a moment. I cross my legs as I come to a sitting position and look at him inquisitively. 

"What's all that?" I motion towards his bag with my finger. 

"This is all the stuff I'm going to need for our journey to the Fright Zone. I packed some water and some snacks in case we get hungry. And there's some more snacks in case we get hungry around dinnertime and don't have anywhere to eat. I have some money, for safety reasons. I also have an extra jacket and some notebooks, because I sold the story to my dads that I was going there for a field trip sort of thing. To study the uncharted territory of the Fright Zone for history reasons - they ate it right up. So that's why there are notebooks in there. What else, um-" I interrupt him because this is just getting too sad. 

"Bow, you don't need like half that stuff. I know you've never been there before, but the Fright Zone is only an hour away. You can keep the snacks and jackets and waters, and anything else you feel you may need, but you don't need much more than yourself, really. We're only going there so that you can see the place, meet Adora and I can get my answer. I'm sure it won't be that long. We'll be back before the night's over." I wave my hand dismissively. 

"Okay." He sets his bag down onto the floor for a moment because - I imagine - it's heavy. Hauling that all the way here must have been hell on his back. He is able to breathe more normally now, and allows himself a few breaths before he asks me a question. 

"So, what did you tell your mom?" He returns the same curiosity. 

"I told her that I wanted that special dinner again, so I was going to get the ingredient and this time I would make sure to go with you so that I came back on time. She wasn't happy I took so long the last time, but being that it was my birthday, she let it slide." I shrug. 

"Smart move." Bow places a thoughtful hand to his chin and nods in agreement. "Though... you're not going there for the special ingredient." 

"I know." I place a finger to my temple. "Which is why I've already thought of the perfect excuse. The money she left me is on the kitchen counter with a note. If I forget the money, there's no way I can buy the special ingredient. That way, I don't have to remember to come home with anything." 

"It seems you've really thought about this." He remarks and I don't know if he's worried or impressed more. 

"Yes, I have." I nod, proudly. 

"Well, even if you forget the money, do you have an explanation for the time you'll be spending there?" He asks and honestly, I hadn't thought of that. 

My eyes shift for a moment as I try to come up with something instantly. I can't and I really was only focused on the one issue of remembering to come home with something that I left that part out. Quickly, I start to head off to my room to grab a jacket. 

"You know what? Let's just go. Okay? The sooner we go, the sooner we can be back!" I say. 

"You seriously didn't think of that?" I don't know why Bow's surprised; this happens a lot. He holds his head with one of his hands and shakes it back and forth. Letting out a sigh, he says more. "Well, maybe I can say that we got held up coming back, or something. Let me worry about that. You just go get your jacket and let's get going. After all, it's 3:00 PM, and by the time we get there, it'll be an hour later, which doesn't leave us a lot of time before sunset." He points out. 

"Alright, alright. I'm going!" I call out as I rush back to my room to grab my jacket. 

Within moments I return to the den. Bow has unpacked some of the stuff from his bag and neatly laid it to the side of the room, against the wall so that no one trips over it. He leaves only a couple water bottles, an extra jacket and one snack each, in case. Oh, and the notebook is in there too, in case there's anything there that he really _does_ want to take notes on. 

"Alright, I'm all set." I tell him. 

"Fine, then let's go." Bow nods and we head for the door. 

* * *

The Fright Zone. 

Even in the winter, it looks like a hot desert. It's cold, and there's definitely that familiar wintertime chill in the air, but it doesn't look like winter. In fact, if you had shown a picture of this place to me, I would have said it was the middle of summer. It must be nice not to have to deal with incredible amounts of snow. Bow's eyes are already scanning the place. He already doesn't trust it. Approaching the Fright Zone, I could feel Bow step a little closer to me. 

Occasionally as we would walk around to different towns and villages, Bow would glance over as he was speaking to me and we'd have a normal conversation. He'd look at me, you know? Now, his eyes are straight and forward on the ahead direction. He's quiet and hasn't said anything - like - the entire trip here. He's not even saying anything now. Bow stepping closer to me could mean he's feeling unsure, but it's probably also for my protection too. I think he thinks if we stick together, nothing can really happen. 

Bow's usually always worried about things. I could understand why he would have his guard up - new place, and it doesn't look friendly and all, yeah. But, he doesn't need to be terrified either. 

I take his hand gently, which finally gets him to look at me. As soon as he does, I move it up to his arm. I think this may make him feel a little better. 

"Hey, I know you're worried because it's your first time being here, but nothing's going to happen, okay?" I reassure him. "Nothing can happen as long as we stick together and I'm not going anywhere." I whisper, next. 

He nods. 

"Besides, you should try to take in as much of this place as you can while we're here. I don't think you'll be coming back any time soon. Or... ever." I trail. 

"You might be right about that." He finally says something to me, but he manages a smile. I know his nerves are calmed, if only for a moment. 

"So where does this Adora person live?" He asks me, like I'm supposed to know. 

"I don't really know." I tell him. "I've only been here once and when I was here, I didn't meet her." 

"Well, then I guess we have to focus on finding that place where you had your fortune read. That might give us a clue into where Adora lives." He suggests. He sounds just like a detective. 

"You're probably right." I agree and we head for the part of town I remember having my fortune read in. I think it was just around the corner and down the street from where all the fruit vendors were. I remembered a lot of fruity smells in the air. We duck around that same corner and sure enough, in the distance, is that table setup that the fortune teller had. 

"Bow, there it is!" I exclaim and begin to rush off towards it. 

"Hey, wait up!" He calls out after me and begins the chase after me. 

* * *

"Man, I really wish there was something to do around here. Let's see...." A blonde trails in a particularly quiet part of town. "I've swept the streets and some of the cobblestone walkways in town. I've made sure to visit the fruit vendor Shadow Weaver likes to get some fresh fruit. I've also delivered some things for the vegetable vendor Shadow Weaver keeps in touch with, aaaaand..... taken my daily walk for exercise. Hmmm..." She trails off in thought again. 

"I guess I could go back home and clean the house again, but it's really not untidy from the last time I cleaned it." She thinks out loud once more. Placing a thoughtful hand to her chin, the blonde continues to ponder what it is she could occupy her time with, especially since she's finished all her chores for the day. 

It's only as something brushes up against her leg that her thoughts break and she looks down to see what it is. Her eyes are met with a cat that can't be much older than 1, and its eyes are a mismatched blue and yellow. That is, one of the eyes is blue, and the other is yellow. As the girl's eyes meet with the cat's pair, the kitten meows, the sound soft and high. The blonde's face twists suddenly into a smile as she crouches down to pet the cat. The kitten immediately takes to Adora's hand, and starts to curve around it, allowing all parts of its spine to be pet. 

"Hah, hello there." The girl greets it, gently. "Where did you come from?" 

The cat meows as if it can understand her. For a moment, the blonde thinks it just might, but knows that cats probably only understand a limited amount of human language and that can't be it. She continues to pet it. 

"You're probably just like me, huh? Roaming around, looking for something to do." She remarks. "You probably don't have much either." 

The cat meows again and moves closer to Adora, brushing up against her leg. The mew almost sounds like it has a small rasp in it. Adora giggles as the fur from the cat tickles just a bit. 

"Well, hey." The blonde starts. "My name's Adora." She introduces herself. "But, I suppose you can't tell me your name because... you can't talk." She pauses for a moment. 

"So, how about I give you one?" Adora posits. 

The cat purrs in response. It's probably because the cat is receiving some glorious pats and pets right now, but Adora takes it as a sign that maybe the cat likes the idea of being given a name. Or perhaps, it just likes Adora.

"Oh, but..." She begins again. "I don't even know if you're a boy or a girl." The blonde takes a moment, and then ducks her head down just far enough that she's able to peer underneath the cat and see its belly. The cat looks at the girl puzzlingly, especially because, for the moment, the glorious pets have stopped. The cat meows to get Adora's attention and reclaim the pets that had been going on. 

"Oh, sorry." Adora readjusts her head and resumes petting the kitten. "But, it looks like you're a girl." She remarks. "Hm, well... I've never really been good at coming up with names, so I guess I could just call you 'Cat'." Adora suggests. 

The cat, almost like she understands, gives Adora an unamused look. As if to say: 'Really, is that the best you got?'

Adora takes a moment to consider something else. "Wait. Cat, and then I can add a 'ra' at the end. Since my name ends in 'ra' and you sort of... I guess, belong to me now? Well, you like me at least. Yeah, so that's your name now. Catra." Adora says it completely. 

"Hey, I kinda like it." Adora smiles. 

The cat can't argue with that. Seeing Adora so happy, she just goes along with whatever she's saying and returns to nuzzling her head against Adora's palm. Adora chuckles softly to herself and stays there with the cat for a while. 

"Well, I guess I have you to hang out with, at least." Adora mumbles a moment later. "Your company is better than no company on your birthday." Her hand gets to scratching behind the cat's ears, and the cat just purrs, moving her head against Adora's hand in delight. 

"What do you say after I'm done petting you I get you something to eat?" Adora offers and the cat meows once more, as if to say: 'Yes.'

* * *

"She doesn't appear to be here, Glimmer." Bow, who is standing behind me looking at the table setup, tells me. 

"I know that Bow, why do you think I'm looking for her?" I check underneath the table, lifting the cloth that hangs over it in the front. 

"Well, you won't find me there." That voice! It remarks from a small distance away, standing in the shade of the tarp that keeps this table of hers in the shadows. Her voice is as eerie as I remember it. 

I gasp and spring to my feet. 

"Shadow Weaver!" I call out her name. 

"Yes? Is there something you need, child?" She drawls. "I can see you've returned and you've even brought a friend this time. Perhaps, I can be of assistance to him too?" 

"Uhh..." Bow's voice cracks as he trails. I can see he's starting to sweat, even though it's cold. I jump in because otherwise, he'll just become a total nervous wreck. 

"We're back because uh..." Honestly, I hadn't thought this far either. I mean, what did I think was going to happen? I was going to find the table that belonged to the fortune teller woman and ask her where Adora lives like she would even give me that information? I can't just outright tell her that we came here to find someone we think might - maybe, sort of, kinda - be her daughter. 

"... b-because.... because... I was so impressed with your reading last month that I just had to come and show my friend where I got it exactly. He said he was interested in seeing the place where I got such an amazing reading and ta-da! ... Here we are!" I say all of that really quickly. 

Shadow Weaver doesn't seem amused. In fact, her green eyes hardly change in expression when she remarks... 

"You're a bad liar, has anyone ever told you that?" Her fingers motion towards me. 

"Okay, so the real reason I'm here..." I trail, hoping that this next lie I'm about to tell she'll believe, but she stops me midway. 

"What is the real reason you're here? Is it truly for another reading or is there something else you seek?" Shadow Weaver offers, and for real, how does she do that?! It's like she's reading my mind or something. 

I look over to Bow for some support and his eyes shift over to mine as if to say: 'Just tell her the truth, she may be able to help'. I sigh. He's right. Maybe she will know something and maybe she won't know who Adora is anyway. My shoulder slump as I begin again. 

"The truth is we're here to find someone." I say, first. "We met the other day and Bow really wanted to meet her too. We thought you might know because... well, you're the fortune teller. You should know these sorts of things." 

Shadow Weaver pauses for a moment and then says something. 

"Child, I am a fortune teller, not a sorceress. I can't cast location spells to find out where missing people have gone." She remarks, and I think, for a moment, she's being sarcastic with me. "But... if the person you seek is here and you think I might know them, then please do, continue your query." She urges me to sit. 

I move forward to take the chair. The same chair I sat in when she did the reading for me. It felt weird to be here again, almost sort of like my energies were all out of whack. I felt strange - but then again, being around this woman would give you strange vibes any day. 

"What is this person's name that you seek?" Shadow Weaver offers, placing her fingertips together and holding her hands that way. 

It takes me a moment, almost sort of like I shouldn't trust her with this, but... 

"Adora." I push out of my mouth. 

"A unique name." She comments, first. 

"So... can you help us?" I ask, almost urgently. 

"Of course I can, dear." She moves her hands to reach underneath the table and bring out the deck of cards she had last time. Her hands are already shuffling through them before I can ask her to _not_ do that. I just follow her movements silently, instead. After all, if this is what it takes to get information out of her, then so be it. 

"The cards can tell you anything you wish to know." A card pops out as she's shuffling through them. 

"The card that's on the table, would you flip it over?" She asks of me. 

My hand reaches out and takes the card, flipping it so that it's face up. 

"The Sun." She reads. "This person was represented by the sun last time." She recalls, and I do remember that too. Adora is very much like the sun. 

Another cards falls out onto the table as Shadow Weaver is shuffling and she asks me the same - to pick it up and turn it over. I do so, and it reveals another card, one that doesn't make sense to me, especially since it's the opposite of the one that was just drawn. 

"The Moon." I read the card. I'm not sure what this is supposed to mean. 

"Yes, and one more and we shall have our answer." Shadow Weaver continues to shuffle the cards. Yet another one falls out and I go to pick it up on the table and flip it over. 

"And... Death?" I read the card, concern present in my eyes. If she's suggesting that she's dead or going to die, I don't know what I'll do. That's a very concerning card to get in anything! 

"Do not fear, child." Shadow Weaver stops shuffling the cards and places them down on the table. "Death often presents scary, but represents good things. Death is a necessary process to make way for new things. Such is the card, dear. It represents transformation and new beginnings. It could mean you're about to learn something new that will force you to reinvent the life you have as you've known it." Shadow Weaver forecasts and I'm not sure how to take that. 

I mean... I'll have to reinvent the life I've led? That's a serious thing to say and she just expects me to know exactly what she means? 

"But, I don't understand. How does this help me find Adora?" I ask. 

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem, considering she's rounding the corner right now. Over there." Her arm raises and points in the direction Adora is supposedly coming from. 

I look on with anticipation, turning my body in the chair to view. Bow also turns so that he can look on at the person coming, supposedly. 

Sure enough, like Shadow Weaver wrote it herself, Adora rounds the corner and starts down this way. She's so enthralled with something in her arms. It looks like a cat as she draws closer to us. She's so busy with it, that she doesn't notice the scene before her right away. As she approaches where Shadow Weaver's table is, she looks up and finally sees all of this. Our eyes connect first and for a moment, neither of us has anything to say. Her hand comes to a stop at playing with the cat and all she can push out of her mouth is: 

"Glimmer?" 

Okay, seriously, how does Shadow Weaver do that? And just _what_ was all that about - with the cards? Why did I need to see The Sun, The Moon and the Death card? And what is Adora doing with that kitten? Will someone please explain to me what's going on? Yet, as many thoughts as there are swimming around in my head, I'm only able to verbalize one. 

"Adora." I state her name, softly. 

Bow's eyes look back and forth between the two of us. He catches a glimpse of what she looks like finally, and it isn't until a moment later that Adora's gaze redirects towards Shadow Weaver. 

"Well... it looks like you have much to discuss. I'll just leave you to it, then." The old woman gathers her things and heads away from the table setup. She has no business being here, but I guess Adora's look is what must have communicated that. As Shadow Weaver ducks out of earshot, things resume, and time seems to keep pace again. 

"What are you doing here?" Adora asks me directly. 

"We came to find you." I tell her, honestly. 

"Why? Is everything okay?" She asks. 

"Yeah, everything's fine." I move a hand to the back of my head, sheepishly. "I just... had a really important question for you. And - my best friend Bow wanted to meet you. So... we came here." I explain. 

Adora looks to Bow and then back to me. 

"Well... you should have just waited, but now that you're here, let's find somewhere to talk." She suggests. It's really weird the way she said that. It's like... she doesn't want us here. But, she's right, we should probably find somewhere to settle down and talk. 

A cold breeze rolls by and the cat meows in Adora's arms as the sun begins to lower in the sky on the horizon. It's painted the sky in many colors - orange and pink, and yellow - but all I can focus on is... 

...Adora and why those beautiful, blue eyes look so troubled now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are really moving along now, it seems! I think this may have been my favorite chapter to write, but they've all been pretty fun.  
> If you feel like it, leave me a comment and tell me which chapter has been your favorite thus far. And as always, thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> This idea struck me randomly at... 2 AM... I want to say, one night. I've written a bunch of chapters since then.  
> Sit tight, I'll be uploading them shortly as well. 
> 
> This story is nothing like my other ones. It's much more lighthearted and fun.  
> I hope you enjoy!


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